Divine Reborn
by Muse of Fanfiction
Summary: Melindia Hagne always wondered if there was more to her life than just being a simple florist with a secret passion for everything Greek mythology, yet she does not know why. But the appearance of a mysterious yet so familiar stranger began to change everything. Who was he to her? What exactly had her mother done in the past? Why does it seem like everything was not what it seemed?
1. Prologue

**_Waiting_**

Once, the world was a different time.

A time of magic and enchantments.

A time of myths and legends.

A time of Gods and Goddesses.

But as the time changed with the coming of a new age, all these that make up this time had ceased to exist. And the great Gods and Goddesses of the old – the very Gods and Goddesses who had roamed and ruled these very lands – are forgotten from our memories.

And it was then that they fell from grace.

All that was left to remind us of their existence are the statues carved in their supposed images, the hymns and ballads written for and dedicated to them by artists of the old, and their stories, which leave many in a state of imagination.

However, they will arise once again.

They live among the mortals of the new age, and they wait. They wait for that time. They wait for each other, so that all will rise to grace once again. They wait, as they searched for the one thing they truly want.

They wait.

And when they finally rise, it would be in the beginning of a new age.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hello everyone! I'm back after a one-month hiatus!

Welcome to the prologue of **_Divine_** _**Reborn**_! As many - or some - of you may know, this is a rewrite of my original story, _**The Reincarnation**_. Those who are new and would wish to read that story, go to my profile page to check out the similar plotline (**WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**). But those of you who wish to read this story by itself, then go ahead!

I'm sorry that this is only the prologue, and nothing exciting happens yet :( But do not worry! I have decided to go for my usual 'Monday and Friday' update, so the first chapter will be published this Friday!

Do stay tune until then!

I can't wait to see how this goes!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	2. Chapter 1

**_The Secret Obsession_**

It was cosily warm today.

Lying in just a simple sundress atop the soft picnic mat on the grass, I basked in the warm sunlight, feeling the shining warmth on my bare arms and legs. With my eyes shut, I concentrated on the sounds around me; of birds chirping high up in the sky, of the cooling afternoon wind breezing by, the rustling of the leaves on the trees, and the faint sounds of cars on the blacktop of the cul-de-sac road.

What better way to spend such a lovely and lazy Sunday afternoon than lying under the sun in a garden full of beautiful and sweet-smelling flowering plants? Yup, that was just how I like it.

But then I felt the sunshine disappear suddenly, presumably by some white puffy cloud that was just passing by. I slowly opened my eyes and met the bright blue sky that was adorned with said white puffy clouds. I sighed at the pretty and calm image, memorizing the sight like a digital camera taking a picture.

But all of a sudden, the calm sky was suddenly disturbed by a passing airplane, which I knew was headed for the Portland International Airport. I felt myself frown at the intrusion of the airport in the nice picture of a natural sky. It just seemed so very out of place; something man-made that clearly did not belong to something natural.

I took the moment to sit up and stretch languidly, feeling my body slowly starting to work again after being immobile for what may be half an hour. As I did, the book that had been on my stomach slid down to my side.

Looking down at it, I picked it up and flipped it over to the front cover.

**Legends of the Ancients: Greek Mythology **

XXX

I know one would probably wonder; why was a girl like me reading this sort of stuff?

About two years ago, I was just in my attic, cleaning it up as part of the ritual spring-cleaning. While sorting through dusty boxes and cleaning through creaky shelves full of old knick-knacks, a book fell down from the shelf I was cleaning. All covered up in dust and sweat, I picked it up and blew the thick coating of dust on the leather cover. I thought it to be one of my mother's old gardening books, considering the fact that she had quite a number.

But when the dust had been blown off, the words on the leather cover read _Homeric Hymns to the Greek Gods_.

I got curious then, wondering why Mom would have such a book in the house. She certainly did not strike me as one with so much interest in such topics, especially those of Ancient Greece. She was more of those coming-of-age folk who always looked forward to what the new day would bring; much like an 'out with the old and in with the new' and 'what's in the past stays in the past' persona. Furthermore, she has never been much of a history buff.

So to have such a book about Greek Gods in our house quipped my interest, and I could not resist a little peek into the book, wondering what it was all about. I certainly had to admit that I did not have any personal knowledge of Greek Mythology.

But what started out as a little peek turned into a few hours of sitting in the dusty attic by a dim lamp flipping through every page that was filled with hymns that were written for the ancient gods and goddesses of Greece. When I had finished the book when the sun had set, I was deeply fascinated.

For some reason, reading the melodious words started to transport me to a whole new world. A world that I did not know had existed so very long ago. A world that opened up the doors of its mysteries to me.

A world that, for some strange and maybe crazy reason, I felt I had been in before.

That one fine day started a whole new addiction for me. Since then, I did a lot of intensive research on the topic of Greek Mythology, gaining knowledge of famous Greek tales such as _The Iliad _and _The Odyssey_, and also acquainting myself with the great Greek gods and goddesses of mythology; The Twelve Olympians.

Since then, I always began to enter a fantasy world of Greek myths. It had a sort of magnetic pull on me; it attracted me to them, offering me a world I never would have thought would have been possible and a world I wished to live in.

Since then, I always felt such a connection to its ancient history.

However, it was a sort of addiction that I was slightly embarrassed about, because I know that most people would not see it as sort of a proper hobby to do. It would also be quite embarrassing to tell to my mother, since I keep most of my secret fantasies to myself. But I was content that way, since it felt like I was keeping a secret that was only for me to know.

XXX

Sighing, I cracked open the book and thumbed through the pages, trying to find where I had last stop before my short 'lazing under the sun' session.

_Page one-hundred and thirty-two… Page one hundred and thirty-two… Page one hundred and thirty-two…_

Page one-hundred and thirty-two came into sight then. "Ah, here it is," I said to myself as my eyes shot to look at the bold chapter name at the top of the page.

**Hades and Persephone: Rulers of the Underworld**

XXX

Out of all the stories in Greek Mythology, the one on Hades and Persephone was my absolute favourite.

Based on all the research I did, Hades was the God of the Dead and Riches, as well as the King of the Underworld, the world where the souls go to when their time on Earth was up and Death was finally upon them.

Despite being the elder brother of the Big Three – him and his brothers Poseidon and Zeus – of the Olympian Gods, he had gotten the most unappealing realm for having drawn the shortest stick in a draw. Poseidon, the middle brother, got rule over the Earth's oceans, while Zeus, even though he was the youngest, got the longest and became King of Mount Olympus.

Hades did not have many myth tales about him, but the most famous tale about him was of his abduction of Persephone.

Persephone was the Goddess of Springtime and Innocence, as well as the favourite child of Demeter, the Harvest Goddess. Persephone was also another illegitimate child of Zeus, who was a very well-known womanizer and philanderer.

Persephone was reputed to have been as beautiful as the beautiful Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, and she had many suitors and admirers. But Demeter, who was protective of her daughter's maidenhood – to the point of naming her _Kore_, which means 'The Maiden' – spurned those suitors and kept her hidden on Earth, away from Mount Olympus where all the gods who lusted after her resided.

However, under the Earth was the Underworld, which was Hades' realm. He took notice of Persephone and had fallen in love with her. So lonely he was in his chthonic kingdom and so consumed with desire for the Goddess, Hades decided to make Persephone as his bride. But he knew very well that Demeter would not allow him her hand.

However, he had still gone to his youngest brother to personally ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Zeus had allowed it, but reminded him that he had to get Persephone away from Demeter first.

So, Zeus had advised him to kidnap Persephone to the Underworld and make her his Queen before Demeter could act.

Hades did just that, and his actions caused a terrible misfortune upon the Earth.

When Demeter had realized that her daughter was missing, she frantically roamed the Earth in search for her. She was so consumed with grief and sadness that she had forgotten her duties to the Earth, and left it to be consumed by harsh winter with deadly coldness and barren land that could bear no fruit or grain for the humans to eat.

When the mortals started to die at a rapid pace, Zeus was finally pressed by their prayers of help. He finally told Hades to return Persephone to her mother so that Demeter would bring life to the Earth once again. Hades was usually obedient to his younger brother's orders, but he did not want to let Persephone go.

As a result, he tricked Persephone into eating seeds of a pomegranate. The pomegranate was called 'The Fruit of the Dead' and anyone who ate it would be permanently bound to the Underworld, in both body and soul. Persephone, who wanted so much to return to her mother, did not know this, and naïvely ate six pomegranate seeds.

When Persephone was returned to the surface, she was found to have consumed the seeds of the pomegranate, and thus must be returned to the Underworld. Demeter, however, put up a fight, demanding that her daughter stayed with her. Hades demanded the same thing, wanting his new wife to always be by his side.

Zeus came up with the decision that, since Persephone ate only six seeds, she must split half her time in a year to both her mother and her husband. This meant six months on the Aboveworld with Demeter, and the other six months in the Underworld with Hades.

When Persephone was on the Aboveworld, being the Spring Goddess that she was, Demeter gave life to everything, making the six months as the lively months of summer and spring. But when Persephone was in the Underworld to fulfil her new duties as the Queen of the Underworld, everything on Earth would die, making the time of her absence as the cold months of autumn and winter.

And that was how the seasons were created.

XXX

A lot of people would find the myth of Hades and Persephone to be a very unsuitable one, seeing as how it held the elements of abduction, kidnapping and forced marriage. But I could not help but see it in a different light.

What if, in the end, Persephone had been happy with the outcome? What if she had come to see the Underworld as another home, and had gladly ruled it as Queen?

What if… she had come to love Hades?

I did not know why, but I felt that maybe this was the right end to the myth. Call me crazy, but I had a feeling that this was how it had ended. It was some sort of inner conscience from deep inside that was telling me this, and I saw no reason to not believe it.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of my thoughts when the phone inside the house started ringing. I immediately stood up, picking up the book with me, and headed inside quickly to reach it.

Luckily, I managed to pick up the receiver before the phone could make its fifth ring. Flashing a quick look to the screen at the caller ID, I immediately picked it up.

"Hello, Mom?"

The familiar sweet voice of my mother sounded on the other end. "Melindia, honey, are you busy?"

Putting the book down on next to the telephone on the table, I replied, "No, I'm not. Why?"

"I wanted to ask if you could run to the store to pick up some groceries for dinner," Mom told me. "I would do that myself, but I'm pretty tied up with completing the last floral arrangement orders for that couple, Brad and Stephanie, who are getting married in two weeks." Then, she added with a groan, "Plus, Stephanie brought her mother along to look over the arrangement designs, and she's being absolutely picky about everything; from the designs of the ribbon bows to the scent of the flowers! This may take longer than I would have expected."

I smiled in amusement at the thought of my mother handling overbearing mothers of future brides-to-be. I sure was glad that I did not come to work, which was a simple but good flower shop that Mom and I personally owned called 'Earthly Spring'. However, I was still pitiful of her having to deal with these sorts of difficult customers.

"Please, Mel? Be a dear?" she asked me pleadingly.

"Of course, Mom," I said. "Just tell me what you need."

Mom proceeded to list down all the stuff while I wrote it out on the notepad that stood next to the phone. When she was done and I was tearing out the paper, she said, "Thank you, dear. I'll make you a hearty delicious dinner tonight. Just for you."

"It's no problem, Mom. And thanks," I told her, smiling. "Bye."

When she bade me goodbye, I put down the phone and proceeded to get everything I needed for a quick trip to the store; wallet, mobile phone and my house keys. In just a minute, I had already slipped on my flats before I got out the door and shut it in my wake, the grocery list starting to get folded in my hands before being kept in one of the pockets of my dress.

In this time of late afternoon, the tiny town of Heatherton was abuzz with energy. Everybody was going around, doing errands on their own. Children had just finished school, and they were either going home or hanging out at other parts of the town for a quick while before evening set in.

The closest way to the grocery store from my house was a walk across the park, which was at the centre of the town. Despite Heatherton being small, the park was sizable enough for a tiny lake, a children's playground, a few exercising corners, and a small field for people to play sports or have a picnic. Plus, it was gorgeous with bushes of flowers and some fruit trees.

So I ventured into the park, which was a two minute walk away from the entrance of my cul-de-sac neighbourhood. Walking on the pathway, I could see children laughing while they played, senior citizens sitting at benches and having a chat, and a few couples taking a stroll hand-in-hand as they looked at each other dreamily in the eye.

As I continued to walk, I realized then that I was about to near my most favourite part of the park. I was suddenly consumed with desire to see it. Besides, a few minutes there would not hurt, right? I would still be able to get to the grocery store to get the stuff and make it back home before evening.

I got off the walkway and decided to head into the thicket of trees. Where I was actually headed was a secret place of mine that I had found a few months back, when I was just nonchalantly roaming the trees with boredom.

It was a single and small pomegranate tree that was hidden amongst the others. The pomegranate tree was special because it seemed to be the only one in the entire park, and maybe even the entire town. Plus, with my inner knowledge of the tale of Hades and Persephone, I could not help but feel elated that I had found something with so much major significance to the tale.

Finally, I got into the thicket and went in the familiar way where the pomegranate tree stood. It was not so _into _the thicket, but it was definitely far enough to be hidden away from other watchful eyes.

However, all of a sudden, I froze in my place.

From where I stood, I could see the pomegranate tree past some trees, in the small clearing that the thicket hid. It was standing quaintly with its ripe red pomegranates hanging like Christmas tree decorations among the vibrant green leaves on its small branches.

But there was something else.

There was _someone _else.

There was someone standing in front of the tree. I could see that it was a man, but he had his back to me so I could not see his face. But I could see that he had a head of dark black hair, and he was very pale. I saw that he too was very tall, and he was dressed in dark clothing that contrasted with his pale skin. His dark clothing starkly contrasted to the paleness of his skin that it almost seemed as though he was just made of black and white.

The man seemed to be doing something in his hands as he stood in front of the tree. Curious, I stayed quiet and watched from my secret hiding place. I did not want him to know I was here, afraid that he may think I was some creeper who was stalking him. So I kept my lips sealed and just stayed still, feeling like an animal that could have been walking into a trap.

But all of a sudden, strangely, as I watched the man quietly, I was suddenly disturbed by a nagging feeling that came from deep inside my gut. It appeared out of nowhere and with no reason whatsoever. It started small at first, but slowly got stronger and stronger, nearly overcoming me. I tried to shake it off as the confusion and annoyance I felt at the thought of someone else knowing my favourite secret spot, but it was clear to me that it was not actually because of that.

I do not know why, but I had a feeling that I know this mysterious stranger.

Before I could even question myself on that confusing thought, I noticed that the man had knelt down in front of the pomegranate tree and stood back up to his full height straight afterwards. Then he reached a hand out to one of the hanging red fruits and lightly traced his finger on the smooth and firm flesh. As I watched him curiously, I saw that there was some sort of notion behind his actions.

He had touched the fruit with such longing that he must be feeling some sort of deep yearn that was within him.

After what seemed like forever, he finally turned away and walked in the opposite direction out of the small clearing, much to my relief. However, he still had his face away from my view, and thus I was still not able to catch even a glimpse of his face.

I stayed rooted to the spot, waiting a few more seconds before I finally decided that it was safe for me to come out. That man did not seem to have noticed my presence. Maybe he did, but he did acknowledge it, or he simply did not care.

I carefully stepped out into the clearing and took a good look at the pomegranate tree. It still looked good and healthy, and there was no sign of any harm on it. I was just glad to know that this man did not do anything to hurt my pomegranate tree, or there was sure to be hell to pay.

I saw nothing out of the norm, and decided that maybe the man had just walked into the thicket out of leisure and found the pomegranate tree, and had just casually decided to admire the tree. That could be it; just something normal and not unusual.

I sighed to myself in relief that nothing actually happened.

But then, I spoke too soon.

As I was looking at the tree from top to bottom, I finally noticed what was on the ground right at the base of the tree. It must have been placed there when the mysterious man had knelt down in front of it shortly.

Scattered on the ground were six pomegranate seeds.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Welcome to Chapter 1, and welcome Melindia Hagne, the main protagonist of our story. Stay tune with her, because they will definitely be more to her that meets the eye!

But anyway, seems like a mysterious but unknown stranger has just caught her attentions...

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	3. Chapter 2

_**A Boring Day**_

It was so boring right now. I was absolutely bored out of my mind. Could it get even more boring with each passing second?

Where I sat on the couch in the lounge that was at the back of the floral shop, the paranormal romance novel I had been trying to read now laying forgotten on the pillow next to me, I was simply staring blankly at the clock on the wall, which now showed that it was just twenty-three minutes past three in the afternoon. I think I may have been looking at the clock for about fifteen minutes straight, but it felt like forever in this sort of slow day.

The shop did not have that many customers today, and it was all calm, peaceful, and downright _boring_.

Closing time was not until six in the evening, but with this sort of boringness, I wished that it ended right now. Might as well cut our losses and just close up shop, since I saw no point in waiting for customers when it already seemed that there would be none. But Mom approved no such thing, and she always told me that patience was one of the key virtues of hard work.

Mom; ever the hard-working one.

Unfortunately, I was nowhere like that at that very moment.

Finally, I got bored from just staring at the clock. I groaned and finally got my butt off the couch, making my way to the front. I needed to do something, or else I might die from this utter boredom on this slow day.

"Mom!" I called out in a whine as I dragged myself to the counter. "Can I at least go out for a walk or something? I am absolutely _bored _out of my mind!"

Looking over to where the counter was, there sat Mom, who was looking at me as I whined.

To be honest, if both of us were seen by anyone new, they would not have thought that we were mother and daughter.

Demi Chloe had earthy blonde hair that fell in curls to her shoulders, and she had a pair of olive green eyes that were just so vibrant and had an earthy tone. Whereas, I had long wavy hair of russet brown, nearly the colour of chocolate, and bright amber eyes, which was a trait that was already very rare for anyone else to have. I looked absolutely nothing like my mother, except for the same peachy complexion of skin. Plus, she did not look the age of being a mother; she only looked probably a decade or so older to my age of twenty.

She had told me, the last time I had asked her, that I took my looks from my father, who left before I was even born, most probably because he did not want to have responsibilities of being a parent. Once, I had even questioned her if I was born out of wedlock, since she looked so young to be my mother.

She never told me the truth. But I had come to the conclusion that I was, since there had been no proof among her possessions that she had ever been married; there had just been my birth certificate with her listed as my mother and that was it. At first, the thought of being an illegitimate child bothered me. But she told me that she had never regretted having me, and that I was the only joy in her life. That eased my bothersome thoughts, and I decided that it too did not matter, as long as I had her.

Mom had a romance novella in her hand, having read it to maybe pass the time and occupy herself in this boring time of day. As she marked the page she had stopped at and set it aside, she pursed her lips and shook her head at me.

"Honestly, Melindia. How are you ever going to manage this shop on your own if you cannot even handle a slow day?" she asked me in mock-disapproval.

With a groan, I replied, "Now's not that day, Mom. So? Can I go out for a while or not? I'll come back before closing time."

Mom tutted, but then sighed in defeat and said, "Alright, alright, young lady. Just for an hour, alright?"

Hearing that, I inwardly cheered at the thought of being able to leave the now-suffocating shop and immediately headed to the lounge to grab my purse. I was out in a few seconds flat, already making my way out the shop doors.

"See you later, Mom."

"Don't be out too late, Melindia."

I was out of the doors of the shop in a few seconds flat, and was already walking on the path on the way to Main Street. At this time of day, lunch hour was about to finish up, and the working people that was out was either going back to work and the general public was about to be out for their own leisure. I could even see some children here and there, meaning that they had finished school not too long ago.

When I had entered Main Street, I continued on to a tiny short alleyway between two buildings – a hair salon on my right and a drug store on my left – and walked down a short pathway that led to a quaint and petite building hidden in between all of the shop-houses.

A red-bricked box-like cafe which had its name written on the display window in bold italics; '_**The Vintage Cuppa**__'_.

This particular cafe was a personal favourite haunt of mine, since it was so hidden away from the noisy hustle and bustle of Heatherton and it was the most perfect place to sit down and read a good book (other than home, of course) with a very delicious cup of caramel frappucino topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips - the best in town.

Plus, my best – and somewhat only – friend, Henrietta, worked there, and she could get me any delicacy I so desired at a discounted staff price.

I pushed open the glass doors and made my way inside, hearing the tinkling of the overhead bell as I entered. True to its name, The Vintage Cuppa was furnished in all sorts of vintage décor, ranging from red coral Victorian-themed wallpapers plastered to the wall, orange-brown plush armchairs at the sides of low square coffee tables and dark blue plush dining chairs around tall round tables, paintings of neutral-coloured floral patterns, tall vases of lovely flower arrangements, and a soft ballad that was actually being played from an _actual_ vinyl record that was playing on an _actual_ vinyl record player.

The quiet and calm atmosphere of the cafe – from both the soft ballad playing, the comforting colours of the décor and the miniscule amount of people (since it was already the end of lunch hour) – I felt myself relax, and praised myself for coming here instead of being stuck inside the boring shop.

"Mel!"

I turned my head to the direction of where my name was being called, finding it directed to the counter, which Henrietta was manning at that moment. The girl with wide blue-grey eyes and mousy blonde hair with streaks of bright blue adorning her tresses waved to me with a big smile on her glossed lips.

"Good to see you here!" she exclaimed in a bubbling manner when I came over to the counter. "I've been meaning to call you, 'cause I have a _lot _of fresh gossip that needs spreading."

If anyone were to see me and Henrietta, no one would think that we were actually best friends. Henrietta was a real socialite, able to strike up a conversation with just about anyone who she came across, in addition to the fact that she was loud, preppy, and loved nothing more than a real good party. On the other hand, I was a real wallflower, being as meek as a mouse when it came to meeting new people and preferring to spend all my time in the quiet and comforting fortress of my home while I entertained myself with a good book in hand or a flower shrub that needed tending.

But then again, they do say that 'opposites attract', so maybe that's why Henrietta and I always managed to get along despite our _totally _different personalities.

"Well, you're in luck, because I got absolutely nothing to do for the next hour," I told her with a smirk as I lazily leaned against the counter. "A soy cappuccino with lots of almond milk foam. I need some of that delightful caffeine to recharge my batteries after a boring and uneventful time back at the shop."

Without even writing up my order on the computer register, Henrietta simply turned and yelled out my order to Jacob, a twenty-one year old college sophomore. Looking through the small window that looked into the kitchen, Jacob saw me and raised his hand as a gesture of greeting while he smiled at me kindly, to which I waved back in an equally friendly gesture.

It was not that Jacob and I were really close friends; it was just that I was a regular here and that nearly any employee of the cafe already knew me from my frequent visits, while others would simply know me as 'the florist's daughter'.

"He's cute, isn't he?" Henrietta sighed dreamily and batted her eyelashes in a flirty manner when Jacob was out of view. "It's too bad he's only here for another week before he goes back to New Hampshire for his next semester. It's too short a time for me to make a move."

I cocked a brow at her and told her sceptically, "You do know he has a girlfriend, right? That girl whose pictures he has hundreds on his Facebook? The one that he's been with for ten months already? The girl who you repeatedly call a 'goody two shoes who thinks she's so sweet and cute and blah blah blah'?"

"Oh, enough of that talk, girl!" Henrietta exclaimed with a dismissive wave of my hand. "It's time to get into that gossip I promised you, Springtime!"

'Springtime' was Henrietta's own personal nickname for me. When I had first met her – which was a long time ago in this very same cafe, when she was still new at the job and I had yet to be a constant regular, and just a little while after we got into our first real conversation instead of just being the regular customer and server – she had called me 'Springtime' because of my infinite love for the season of spring. She used to call me 'Flower', because of my addiction to flowers and also the fact that I was a florist, but that was long forgotten already. Only 'Springtime' remained as her nickname for me.

At that moment, a glazed white ceramic coffee cup that was sitting atop a saucer was placed on the small pick-up table next to the counter by Jacob, who was now making his way back inside the kitchen. From the cup, the strong aroma of soy bean milk and caffeine radiated in the air, intertwining with the lingering scent of creamy almonds that came from the whitish-beige foamed milk that topped the coffee.

Henrietta walked out of the counter station and took the coffee cup in her hands by the saucer. "Order up! A soy cappuccino with lots of almond milk foam for Melindia Hagne!" she exclaimed loudly as she made her way to one of the empty nearby tables. Rolling my eyes, I followed her, just for the sake of getting my caffeine.

When I took the seat across hers, I made haste to grab hold of my coffee by the cup's handle gently. Giving a few tentative blows of air to cool the surface, I then took a careful sip, feeling relieved that my tongue did not get burnt when the coffee finally slowly flowed past my lips. When I drank it, I could feel myself become even more relaxed and satisfied, all thanks to the uberly delicious soy cappuccino with almond milk foam.

"Remind me to give my compliments to the barista. Jacob sure can make a cup of coffee!"

Henrietta only rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "That can wait! Right now, I need to tell you all about this guy I saw when I was on my way to work!"

Oh, boy. This could not be good for me.

This was not really the first time Henrietta's goes about telling me about a guy that she found to be really super attractive and how said guy would be the perfect husband for her; this was already the countless who-knows-what time she does this. Usually, I would listen to her to just be kind and be engaged with whatever she has to say, but it's absolutely no lie that it could get extremely boring after a while.

As per normal, I casually asked in a slight nonchalant tone, "So, how'd you meet him?"

Henrietta sighed aloud in exasperation. "Unfortunately, I didn't! I only saw him walking about in the park about too far away for me to try and catch him before he left. I was running late for work this morning, so it was even more a disadvantage. But! Even though I did not really meet this guy, believe me when I say that he looks like a god."

I set down my cup of coffee carefully and raised an eyebrow sceptically at her. "That's what you said about the guy you saw jogging last week," I pointed out to her.

She shook her head in protest, and continued to exclaim, "I am telling you truthfully, Spring, that this guy really looked so handsome and gorgeous that it's almost impossible for someone that good-looking to possibly exist! He was like the very meaning of the phrase 'tall, dark and handsome'! Seriously, even Hollywood's top hottest celebrities would look like Average Joes compared to him. He's got this brooding look that so smouldering and sexy that he could really make any girl weak in the knees. He certainly had that effect on me!"

Henrietta then let out a pleasured whimper and started to fan herself immediately, while I could only watch her with a look that most certainly said 'I am bored with whatever you had been speaking to me about'. I mean, it's really no wonder why I would be so bored, because this was just Henrietta and her usual 'boy-crazy' and 'hopeless romantic' personality. Normally, I would not have mind, but she's been doing it so frequently now that it was – admittedly – getting really annoying.

"Oh gawd, I sure hope I see him again! And then I might be able to get him to take me out for drinks and get to know him a little more. I wonder what his favourite type of girl is. With those sorts of looks and that high level of hotness he possesses, he must have women throwing themselves at him all the time!"

"Mm-hm… Right… Go do that…" I replied in a voice that could hide just the slightest bit of my annoyance and boredness at the conversation. It was so funny and ironic; I had come to the cafe to alleviate my boredness, but here I am getting bored by my own friend. "By the way, don't you have a job to do right now?"

At that very moment, Bryan, the owner of the cafe, emerged out of his office and, upon seeing Henrietta sitting with me at the table and fawning to herself about the image of the guy that was now stuck on her mind, immediately started demanding to know why she was not managing the counter. In a flash, Henrietta jumped out of her seat and rushed back to the counter, all the while remarking with sass about things called 'breaks' and how 'other employees use it to recharge'.

As I watched her have a funny sort of quarrel with her boss, I could only smirk in amusement and drink up my soy cappuccino, feeling relieved that I now had the peace I wanted to myself.

XXX

I was just reading some e-books on my phone when I had noticed the time and realized that it was time for me to go.

Putting back my cell into my jeans pocket and grabbing my purse, I downed the remaining of my now-cooled cappuccino and got up from my seat. Henrietta wasn't at the counter now, probably doing some work in the kitchen. Nearby, I saw Jacob cleaning up a table that had previously been occupied by a couple. I called him out and he looked at me promptly.

"Can you tell Henri that I've gone back and I'll clear my tab with her next time?"

Jacob nodded with a friendly smile. "Sure, Melindia. Have a nice day."

I waved goodbye to him as I made my way out of the cafe, and then I started on my walk back to the flower shop. At this time of late afternoon, the town was quite abuzz with activity when I got on to Main Street. Moms were shopping for groceries to make dinners with some even stopping for a chat with fellow moms, cars were driving up and down the street to their own destinations, and nearly everyone was done with the work day and was now on their way home or some other place they had planned to go for whatever reason.

Just the thought that shop was not going to close for at least another two hours made me dread going back to the stifling boringness. I needed a little bit more time of relaxation before I braced myself to go back, and my secret pomegranate tree at the park was the right place in mind.

_I'm sure a few minutes there wouldn't hurt… _I thought to myself as I changed my walking directions from the shop to the park instead. _I could just tell Mom I got caught up with something._

The park wasn't that far from Main Street, only a five-minute walk away. Very soon, I was already walking past the lake, following the path that led to the thicket of trees where my pomegranate tree lay as the heart of that thicket. The day was calm and peaceful, with the feeling of a light breeze all around the air and the sounds of people laughing heartily and children playing with their friends.

The thicket of trees finally came into sight and I walked off the pathway and on the grass. There was nobody in the area, so there was nobody who had seen me disappear into that thicket.

The thicket was quiet and peaceful, except for the tweeting and chippering of birds in the branches above me. I looked up to see some yellow-bellied and red-feathered ones flying from tree to tree and hopping from branch to branch, all of them singing in harmony.

But then, I was distracted by the feeling of my foot kicking away something that was now rolling a few feet ahead of me. I looked down and was surprised to find half a pomegranate laying on the grass, some of its seeds now scattered from falling out due to the impact of my accidental kick.

I picked up the pomegranate half and became curious as to why there was even one lying around in the first place. As I continued to walk the way to the tree, I began to wonder if there had been someone here recently, and I began to worry that my secret place was not so secret after all.

Just then, my memory flashed to a scene from a few days ago, and I was suddenly thinking about the dark-haired pale stranger who had stood in front of the tree and who had scattered six pomegranate seeds, which seemed curious, or somewhat ominously.

I began to wonder if he would ever come back to the tree.

Who would have known that, when I finally stepped out into the clearing, my words would ring true.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well... it was kind of disappointing to know that there was not a lot of responses to the first chapter as I hoped there would be. But nevertheless, I will strive!

Anyway, let us introduce Demi Chloe, Melindia's loving single mother, and Henrietta McPherson, Melindia's party-crazy best friend. Anyone who read _The Reincarnation _would remember Henrietta, so let's welcome her back!

But who is that guy who mysteriously appeared in the end?

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	4. Chapter 3

_**The Stranger at the Tree**_

I had absolutely no idea, nor did I have any expectation, that he would be there, having been too preoccupied with my own thoughts to take note of my surroundings. So by the time I realized his presence, it was already too late for me to turn back.

He had been facing the pomegranate tree, just like a few days ago. But he turned when he heard me let out a soft gasp of surprise under my breath and drop the pomegranate half to the ground with a muted _thud_ upon contact with the grass.

And just then, I was suddenly facing the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my entire life.

I described him as beautiful because to say that he was handsome – or hot – was such a complete understatement. He really, truly and honestly _did _look beautiful. He had extraordinarily good looks that looked too divine and unearthly; it was as though he was not human, because no human – no matter born gorgeous or not – could have held such beauty within their forms.

It was as though he was some form of masterpiece statue crafted solely by the hands of a great sculptor, only having the special gift to breathe and have a beating heart. His face was so pale that it looked alabaster, with sharp angles and smooth skin that almost looked like marble. His eyes were a pitch black colour, looking so dark and fathomless that it was like two orbs of midnight. The same could be said for his short and lightly-ruffled hair, which was the same sort of pitch blackness and it gave me an urge to run my fingers through his tresses, wondering if they were soft and silky to the touch. And don't even get me started on his body, which was absolutely fit and toned with lean but strong muscles, that it was the sort of figure that any man should hope to dream for.

Because of his divine beauty, I found myself looking directly at him, maybe even staring. I knew it was really rude, and not to mention awkward, but it was seriously impossible for me to look away. There was something about him that held my attentions completely, and I was not referring to his looks.

There were sorts of emotion that lingered beneath his handsome features. He looked saddened and haunted, as though he was really suffering from a sort of nightmare that had been with him for a very long time. He looked tired an exhausted, as though he was Atlas and he had the burden of the world on his shoulders. He looked grim and dreary, as though he had not experienced happiness in such a long time.

But there was a sort of look that was starting in his eyes which totally contrasted the expressions of his face. His dark fathomless eyes held some form of spark in them, which seemed to be becoming more noticeable with each passing second. It was some sort of spark of relief and enlightenment.

However, that was not really the thing about him that captured my attention the most.

It was the feeling that I knew him that did.

Call me crazy, but I really did have some sort of hunch inside me that was telling me that I knew this man. And it's not that sort of hunch I get where I knew I had walked past this person before or I have exchanged a few words with him and just forgot about the entire encounter.

No, the hunch went even deeper than that. It was telling me on the inside that I knew this stranger personally, and I must have had some sort of connection with him. And that sort of connection felt deep and close, as though this person was – or had been – more to me than just a stranger.

_What is this… _I thought to myself in confusion. _Why am I feeling like this? I don't even know this guy… Or do I?_

"Um… Hello…" I heard myself say suddenly when I realized that I had been staring at him in an awkward silence for a bit too long. My voice came out of my lips sounding meek and the embarrassment I felt was clearly heard. I wanted to smack myself in the face for not looking more cooler in front of this handsome stranger.

But then again, I clearly did not expect to meet him here in a thicket of trees of all places, so how was I supposed to keep my cool?

The handsome stranger did not answer me. Instead, he just kept on gazing – not staring, for the expression looked way softer and more gentle to be considered a stare – at me with a look of awe and surprise and shock. And I really did not know why that was so.

Feeling uncomfortable with letting the already-awkward silence hang in the air between us, I plucked up the courage to speak to him once again. Taking a not-too-obvious deep breath to calm myself down and putting on the best kindest smile I could manage, I told him, "I do believe we've never met before. My name is Melindia. Melindia Hagne."

Once again, I wanted to smack myself in the face again, scolding myself for having the stupidity to add in my surname as though I was talking to an interviewer instead of a person who I could make a friend out of.

"But you can call me Mel," I added quietly and sheepishly before I could stop myself, and wanted to smack myself even more for making my introduction reflect just how absolutely uncool I was in this situation.

But before I almost melted into a big puddle of complete and total embarrassment and anxiety, the stranger finally said, "Melindia…That's a beautiful name…"

Oh my goodness, his voice. His deep, husky baritone voice that sounded so manly and subterranean. His voice sounded more beautiful than the most beautiful pieces of music in this entire universe. His voice was like that of an angel from Heaven who had flown down to Earth to grace the land with its holy presence. His voice sounded so silky and mesmerising that I was struck dumb when I heard it and I could almost feel myself being hypnotised by it. His voice sounded so delightful and enchanting that I was so very sure any famous male singers in this universe would weep because their voices were nothing compared to the voice of this stranger.

His voice sounded so very familiar that it made the hunch that I knew him before even deeper.

When I felt myself return to normal after being stunned momentarily by the awe I felt from just hearing his voice and the fact that he just said my name was beautiful, I cleared my throat again and asked nicely, "What's your name?"

"Aiden," the stranger answered. "My name is Aiden Pater."

Well it's a good thing to know that I was not the only one to tell out my full name, although he must have done it to be on par with me, with was really just embarrassing to think about.

Maintaining eye contact with him, though not too focused because I did not want to seem like such a creep, I inquired politely, "I've never seen you around Heatherton before. Are you new here?"

Aiden looked down at the grass and nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, I am new here," he told me in an answer. "I just arrived sometime last week. I'm still getting used to the change in scenery. It's really very much different here from New York."

"New York?" I said in interest. "'The City That Never Sleeps'? That's really cool! But why would you move from the big city life to Maine, and more specifically the tiny town of Heatherton? This place isn't like upbeat New York. In fact, in this town, we actually sleep."

Aiden chuckled at my little joke, and I was just wowed with how gorgeous his laugh sounded. I know that this may be a bit too soon, but his laugh was incredibly _sexy_. So sexy that I could not help but blush at hearing it.

When he stopped, much to my slight disappointment, he let out a low sigh and his eyes looked up back at mine. He did not say anything at all, but he simply just gazed at me with a soft smile on his pair of attractive lips. Seeing that, I felt the blush that was already on my cheeks bloom into a darker shade, and I looked down shyly. I usually did not like it if people just stared at me for no reason, but the way he looked at me actually felt… nice.

Unconsciously tucking a lock of my long hair behind my ear, I asked, "So, why did you move here, Aiden? For a change of scenery? Or maybe you're here for business or something?"

Aiden continued to hold my gaze, at this point never having broken it at all. But to his handsome features, a sudden thoughtful yet melancholic expression masked him, and his eyes started to look softer. At this point, I became slightly curious, wondering whether his answer to my question had much more deeper meaning that what I had assumed.

In a low voice, he answered solemnly, "A long time ago, I lost something that was a very precious and special part of my life. For a long time, I have searched in vain, but I was never successful, and I was deeply saddened at the thought that what was mine would forever be lost to me. I came to Heatherton because I had a feeling that I could find what was precious and special to me right here."

I know that normally, people would feel weirded out if a stranger would just tell too much information about themselves. But for some reason, I did not. In fact, hearing Aiden's answer kind of made me feel pitiful for him. He truly did sound earnest when he talked about the 'precious and special part' of his life that he had lost a long time ago and how he had tried hard to search for it.

I could almost feel the pain and sadness he felt inside, and that was the strange part for me. That was when the hunch deepened, and I became even more confused then. Why was it that I could feel the sensation of his sorrowful words? Why was it that I could feel the loss he felt inside his heart? Why was it that, in overall, I could feel _him_?

_This is getting too weird…_ my mind said to me. _But yet, it's not really that weird…_

"How did you find this pomegranate tree?" I suddenly questioned unconsciously, having been too preoccupied with the strangeness I felt, and it was already too late for me to clamp my lips from asking such an abrupt question.

Aiden raised a perfect brow questioningly and I felt embarrassed for just abruptly exclaiming such a stupid question.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled in flustered embarrassment. "It's just that… This pomegranate tree is… kind of… a secret hideout for me. I'm the only one who knows about this, so… I'm kind of curious to know how you found it…"

Aiden then smiled and looked at the pomegranate tree. I watched as he silently raised a hand to one of the round ripe red fruit, the tips of his fingers lightly caressing the hard and solid hull. I thought he was about to pluck it, but then his hand moved to the side of the fruit, picking the blossomed red flower that was growing right beside it. He held the flower in his hands, one finger twirling the stalk while the other caressed the petals that were almost as red as the fruit.

"You like pomegranate trees?" he asked.

"Yes. Do you?"

He nodded his head in agreement, his eyes still focused on the flower in his hand. "Why's that?" I questioned. "I don't think I've ever met a guy who would actually take an interest in trees."

"I'm not like other… guys…" he told me as matter-of-factly, looking back up at me with a smirk on his lips. "And I like pomegranate trees because they hold a special significance."

"How so?" I questioned him, curious to see where this conversation was going.

His smirk turned into a full smile, and he asked, "Ever heard of the story of Hades and Persephone?"

I did not stifle the gasp that had risen in my throat, and I could clearly hear it being sounded. The shock and surprise I felt at his answer most probably could be seen clearly on the expression I had on right now, which would most probably comprise of wide eyes, raised eyebrows and an agape mouth.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'?" he said with a light amused chuckle.

Feeling the embarrassment start to rise, I immediately calmed myself down and put back on the best of my composure. Trying to make it seem as though I had not just made an entire fool out of myself, I calmly replied, "It's a 'yes', alright. Seriously, I'm surprised that I would actually meet someone who knows that story. Until now, I thought I was the only one who does."

Aiden chuckled again under his breath and shook his head in gentle disagreement. "No, you aren't the only one right now. That story is a very personal favourite of mine, and the pomegranate fruit is a very significant feature of the tale."

"Yes," I agreed with him enthusiastically. "The 'forbidden fruit' of the Underworld."

"'Forbidden fruit'?" he questioned in curiosity.

"Well, yeah. It had been said that the pomegranate was the 'Fruit of the Dead', and nobody was to eat any food from the Underworld unless they wanted to stay there forever, which I doubt anyone would want. And Persephone had eaten it by accident or she was tricked into it, so it bound her to the Underworld."

"I don't think that's quite true," Aiden stated, a slight tone of disapproval and disbelief heard in his voice. "I don't think so at all."

I cocked my head and eyed him curiously. "Which part?"

"The one about Persephone, and the circumstances of her eating the pomegranate. I don't think she had eaten it by accident nor was she tricked into it."

My interest soaring at his words, I asked, "So what do you think really happened with Persephone?"

Aiden became silent as he continued to twirl with the red pomegranate flower in his hand. I heard him release a heavy sigh, which could be an indication that he was being bothered by a bothersome and heavy thought. It somehow fitted with the air of solemnity that now radiated from him.

After a while of silence, he finally spoke, but his voice came out sounding heavy. "What if she had done so out of her own will? What if she had decided that she knew what was best and ate the six seeds on her own? What if she had done so because she had decided that she wanted to be in the Underworld?"

I will admit that I was very taken aback by his answer. Not only was his opinion on Persephone and the pomegranate what I agree to as well, but he spoke it with so much passion that it almost felt that he knew the tale personally.

Once again; call me crazy, but it really did felt like it.

With a nod of understanding, and maybe of awe from the intensity of his answer, I responded, "You know, that's what I would always think too."

"Really now?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow, his obsidian eyes looking directly at me.

With a smile, I nodded my head and said, "Really."

All of a sudden, a ringing tone interrupted the silence that shortly hung between us. A few seconds later made me realize that it was actually my cell phone that was making that intrusive noise. Aiden gave a short glance at the pocket of my jeans, where the sound was coming from, before looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to answer it.

I mumbled a soft 'excuse me' while I hurriedly fumbled to get my phone out of the pocket. But by the time I already held it in my hand, the call was cut off. I looked at the notification bar at the top of my phone's screen to see that I had received one missed call from Mom. I slid my sight to the time at the top right corner of the screen and saw that it was already getting pretty late. I then realized that Mom was calling me because I had been out for more than a promised hour and was not back at the shop yet.

"Shoot, I'm late," I muttered as I slid the phone back into my pocket. I looked up at Aiden apologetically and told him, "I'm so sorry, but I really should be off now. It was very nice to meet you, Aiden."

A certain look took over his expressions then. He looked worried, saddened and a little bit of pained. It was as though it hurt him to see me go now. While I was be flattered that he would be hurt at the sudden leave of my presence, I truly did wonder why he would be like that in the first place.

Taking a short step forward, he asked urgently, "When can I see you again, Melindia?"

I clearly did not expect such a question from him, a stranger that I had met some minutes ago and who I had quite an intense and deep conversation about Persephone with. But while I was surprised, I was also pleased to see that he would actually ask if he could see me again.

Smiling and shrugging my shoulders, I replied, "Well, anytime I guess. Heatherton's a really small town, so I think you could catch me around anytime soon."

"Will you promise that?" he asked, and I picked up the seriousness in his voice. Once again, confusion took over me then, wondering why he was acting in such a manner.

But still, I told him, "Yes, I can."

Finally he seemed pleased at my answer, for he smiled and all traces of seriousness vanished away from his beautiful face. "Alright then. I'll see you around, Melindia. And it truly was nice to meet you and have that conversation."

"The same can be said from me," I agreed with him, before turning away and saying, "I'll see you around, Aiden."

And so I walked out of the clearing and out of the thicket, hurrying my way back to the shop.

* * *

When she had left that small clearing, he did not move. He just stayed where he was, his eyes fixed on the way she had left.

He could not believe it. He simply could not believe it. She had been standing there, so close within his reach. She had spoken to him, her voice still holding the beautiful musical tinkle that he had remembered so fondly. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more now.

If he had not kept in mind to act normal and pretend to be a stranger that she had just met, he would have rushed to her and taken her into his arms, crying at the relief that he had finally found her after searching tirelessly in vain. Too long. It had been too very long.

However, his fears and suspicion had come true. She had no idea as to who he was. She did not even have the slightest memory of him. She did not know him as who he truly was to her. She just knew him as a stranger named 'Aiden Pater'.

It hurt and pained him immensely, because she does not remember their bond.

But he does not let that thought burden him. He had a good feeling that destiny held fortune for the both of them for the times to come, and he had a strong belief in himself that she would finally remember him and who she truly was, and come back to him.

Absentmindedly, he pulled out the chain that had hung around his neck and looked at it in deep thought. As he gazed at the two special items that was hanging from the chain, he thought to himself only one thing.

_I have finally found you…_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Melindia has finally met the mysterious stranger, Aiden. But there seems to be more to Aiden than what meets her eyes. What could it possibly be? Why does she feel like she knows him? And what does he mean by he finally 'found' her?

Stay tuned!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	5. Chapter 4

_**The Nightmare**_

There was nothing around me, except for an immense pitch black darkness.

I did not understand. Where was I? Where was this place? _What _was this place?

There was not even one hint of light anywhere within sight, and it was so dark that when I felt my hand being held up to the front of my face, I could not even see a single damn thing. At first, I thought that maybe it was probably because my eyes were closed, but that assumption was denied when I realized I was already looking at the heavy blackness.

Fear set heavily upon me, but I willed myself to take a step forward. I don't even know where I was going, if there was even somewhere else to go from this void. So without a clue, I just kept on walking to nowhere in particular.

One good thing to know was that I still could hear my own voice, and I began calling out.

"Mom?" I called, wondering if she would be here as well. Naturally, she would have been the first person I would actually call for. "Mom, where are you? Are you around? Are you there? Answer me if you are!"

No answer came, and the fear setting in became even worse when I realized that I was alone in this strange dark and fathomless abyss. Disturbing thoughts filled my mind then, and I began to wonder if there were some evils lurking in the darkness that surrounded me. Despite how utterly cold and empty this void felt, I could not help but fear that something would reveal itself and prove to be deadly. The thoughts of ghosts, demons and monsters haunted me like a young child afraid to go to bed alone at night, and the fear turned more prominent with each passing second.

"Mom?!" I continued to cry out, finding the only comfort with the thought of my mother in mind. But at this point, I wouldn't have minded the presence of another human being. "Is anyone there?! Anyone?!"

All of a sudden, completely unexpectedly, I could feel myself suffocating. Suffocating from what, I do not really know. Maybe it was because of the heaviness of the darkness that was making me suffocate. But whatever it was, I was choking and I could barely even breathe.

I could feel all the precious oxygen leaving my lungs and I struggled immensely to gain more breath. But my efforts seemed futile, and I could feel myself collapsing as both the lack of oxygen and the confined solitary of the dark null void overwhelm me.

"**MOM!**" I screamed, wasting the last of my precious breaths but still hoping for a miracle to happen.

Unfortunately, instead of a miracle, I could feel myself being grabbed by an invisible and – maybe – unholy force, and I was then being pulled away further into the shadows.

In a sudden turn of events, I felt all the air go back inside my lungs, but it was being used for the high-pitched scream of terror that was emanating from my mouth.

When the loud and ear-piercing (even to my own ears!) scream ended, I sucked in a big amount of delicious fresh air, savouring the feeling of my lungs being replenished by it, as I glanced around the room in complete anxiety, afraid that I was still in that menacing dark void. However, I was completely and utterly relieved when I saw that I was actually lying on my familiar comforting bed in my room, and that there were streaks of moonlight streaming through the window and the sheer curtains.

Suddenly, I was distracted by the sound of my door slamming against the wall after it had been forcefully pushed open, and the presence of my mother hurrying to my bedside worriedly as she haphazardly tied the drawstrings of her soft yellow night robe.

"Melindia?! Honey, are you alright?" she asked in a near hysterical yet very worried voice, sitting down beside me on the bed and taking me into a hug as she rubbed her fingers on my cheeks, which made me realize that I had been crying as well. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

I tried to answer, but I was still rapidly breathing in sweet bouts of air that I just couldn't. All I could manage was stammer, "Darkness… Everywhere… Choking… Grabbing… Terrifying…"

Unexpectedly, I burst out in tears once again, recalling the fear I felt in that abyss. I could feel myself shaking and shivering at that horrifying thought, and it plagued my mind heavily. However, I was thankful that it had all been just a nightmare, and that I now had Mom's comforting warm arms holding me. I pressed my hands to my chest, wanting to make sure that there was no feeling of choking pressing into my throat, and I leaned into Mom's embrace.

She gently stroked my back and hair and pressed comforting kisses to the top of my head. "How about we go down to the kitchen and I'll make you a nice hot cup of chamomile tea?" she suggested softly. "Does that sound nice, dear?"

The thought of soothing tea to calm my now-frazzled nerves does sound nice, and I slowly nodded my head in agreement. Mom helped me get off the bed and continued to hold me as we left my room and went down to the kitchen, with her flipping on the lights as we went.

Once at the kitchen, which was small and quaint but had every necessity that a kitchen generally should have, she sat me down at one of the two chairs at the small dining table (we only lived with each other and seldom had anyone coming over for anything other than businesses with floral arrangements) while she switched on the electrical kettle, starting to put the water in it on boil, and went on to take out my favourite teacup (a bright spring green one with rosy pink floral and emerald green leaf patterns painted onto the glazed ceramic) and placed inside it a chamomile tea bag and two and a half teaspoons of sugar. Usually, Mom would have made tea from scratch with actual tea leaves because it would taste better, but the immediate need of tea for me called for the use of the tea bag tonight (or morning?).

When the water had been boiled and poured into the cup and stirred, Mom brought it over to the table and gently gave it to me. I gave her my thanks and then took a tentative sip of the yellow-green tea, immediately feeling soothed. It was all quiet as I took a few more careful sips, feeling myself really calm down from the effects of chamomile. Mom was thoughtful enough to not get into the questions immediately so as to not quickly agitate me, and I was even more thankful for that.

Finally, when the cup was already half-empty, it was me who spoke first. "It was a nightmare, Mom. A very scary and terrible nightmare."

Mom tutted in pity and reached out to place her hand gently above mine on the table. Her thumb rubbed smooth circles on the top of my hand as she said, "Poor dear, you have not had a nightmare in a very long time, and I don't think you've ever had one that made you scream so badly. Now, tell me, what was the nightmare about?"

And so it was then I told her about the black void I had found myself in, about how it was so dark that it felt like my eyes were eternally closed despite the fact that I was really seeing the darkness. I told her about the feeling of loneliness, of emptiness and of terror that I experienced as I wandered that endless abyss of dark nothing. I told her about the sudden sensation of suffocation and how enclosed I felt when the darkness seemed to be closing in on me. I told her about I could not breathe but I was still calling out for her. And then I told her about the scary feeling of something unseen and unholy grabbing me and pulling me away further into the dark shadows.

When I was done, I downed the rest of the warm chamomile tea and took a deep breath. Luckily, I was calm now, and did not react so terrified now.

However, for some strange reason, the same could not be said about my mother.

When I looked up from my teacup to her, I saw something that I did not expect to see. Mom was looking at me with horrified wide eyes and parted lips that seemed to be quivering slightly. And speaking of quivering, I noticed that she was practically shivering; not from cold, but from fear. Her olive green eyes looked as though she had seen something awful or she was remembering something awful from her past.

"Mom?" I said to her quietly, suddenly feeling very anxious at her behaviour right now.

As though she had been snapped out of a trance, Mom suddenly got out of her scared composure, blinking her eyes rapidly and shaking her head as if she was trying to shake away a bad thought. She cleared her throat softly and replied, "I'm sorry, Melindia, but I felt so terrified at the way you described it. I could almost feel it too. It really was unpleasant."

And afterwards, silence ensued. Both of us remained at the kitchen table, the vividness of my nightmare seemingly lingering in the air around us.

XXX

"Melindia?"

I hadn't realized that I had been staring blankly at the opened pages of my book until I heard my mother's voice saying my name. I snapped out of my trance and looked up, seeing her standing on the other side of the counter with her purse in hand.

"Are you alright, honey?" she asked me with gentle motherly concern.

In truth, I wasn't really feeling alright. The nightmare from last night really took its toll on me, and I did not manage to get a good sleep when I went back to bed. I continuously slipped in and out of slumber, and kept on tossing and turning in my bed. But my efforts were pointless, for I just could not go back to sleep with the haunting thought of the nightmare stuck in my mind.

But I did not want to burden my mother with worrying about my well-being, so I just gave the best smile I could manage and nodded my head. "Just a bit tired, but nothing short of alright," I assured her. "Don't worry about me."

"It's hard to not worry about you after you just had that awful nightmare," she told me with a sad sigh. "But if you insist that you're alright, then I feel inclined to believe you. Anyway, I'm going for my break. Mrs Bennett from the grocery store had invited me to high tea with her friends at the LaSelle's Tea Shoppe. Can you manage the shop on your own until I get back?"

"Mom, you sound as though it's the first time you're leaving me in charge," I told her with a shake of my head. "Of course, I can manage. Don't worry."

Feeling rest assured, Mom waved goodbye and exited the shop. Silence promptly filled the shop as I was left to my own devices.

I looked around for something to do, already bored with the book that I had only half-heartedly been reading. But there was nothing except for the abundant arrangements of brightly colourful and sweet-smelling flowers, and I was starting to feel the effects of an uncomfortable sleep.

Sighing in frustration, I simply rested my head on the counter and closed my eyes, hoping that I might feel a bit more relaxed if I did so. The shop was quiet and silent with no customers lurking around, so I had the peace and solitude to myself for just a little while.

Unfortunately, just as I was really starting to feel very calm and relaxed, the door opened with jingle of the bell that was hanging above it. I exhaled a silent sigh of annoyance that my moment had been disturbed, but then I slowly got out of my relaxing position and said in my best welcoming voice, "Hello. Welcome to Earthly Spring. How may I help you today?"

But when I had straightened out in my seat, I jumped in my seat, letting out a short yelp of surprise.

In front of me, standing on the other side of the counter, was Aiden, who was watching me with clear amusement.

"Hello, Melindia," he greeted with a friendly nod of his head.

"Aiden," I greeted back with hidden embarrassment that he had caught me in such a state. "Well, this is most definitely a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here."

Aiden chuckled and shrugged sheepishly – a gesture that I strangely found cute. "You're right; Heatherton's a real small town," he mused. "I was just walking nearby and saw you in here. You didn't tell me that you were a florist."

Unconsciously, I tucked a stray strand of hair and blushed. "Well, I didn't really think that the topic of jobs was a suitable topic to talk about in a first meeting," I admitted to him.

"But an intense discussion of Hades and Persephone was?" he questioned with a raise of his brow. "Certainly the most unusual of subjects to be talked between two individuals who had just only met, don't you think?"

I chuckled in response. "Well, you were the one at fault. Bring up one of my interests and I could rattle on about it all day," I jokingly threatened. "So, since we are on the topic of jobs, what do you do for a living?"

He scratched the back of his head as his face gave off the look that he was trying to think of something to say as his answer. For a minute there, I thought that he looked almost uncertain and hesitant, as though there was something about my question that he either did not know or did not want to tell me.

But nevertheless, he then answered, "I don't really have an occupation right now. I'll be truthful to say that I think I might have enough to last me a lifetime."

I could feel my eyebrows rise in shock. "So you're telling me that you're rich?"

"Well, I didn't mean to show off."

"No, I didn't think you were," I immediately defended as I shook my head immediately, not wanting him to think that I thought of him as being arrogant. However, I was suddenly disrupted in my speaking when I let out a loud yawn that was so strong and sudden. I had no time to repress it, so I quickly covered my mouth with my hand in embarrassment.

Aiden did not look to be disturbed or disgusted by the fact that a girl was yawning, instead chuckling and asking, "Still sleepy, Melindia?"

I rolled my eyes and replied, "I didn't even manage to get a good night's sleep. It was horrible."

A look of curiosity came over him, and he asked, "What was?"

"Just some nightmare I had," I admitted to him with some reluctance. "It's stupid, isn't it? A grown-up like me still having nightmares of darkness like a little girl? Seriously stupid."

"Darkness?" he repeated the word, his eyes still retaining his curiosity. "Care to tell me about it?"

I nodded my head, because I thought to myself 'why not'.

"It was just really weird, and it really was scary. I'm just in this void where it was nothing but an impenetrable pitch black everywhere, and there seemed to be no end. I was all alone, but I held that fear that something terrifying could pop out of nowhere. And then, I was suddenly choking for breath, and I could feel the darkness wrapping itself tightly around me. I felt absolutely suffocated and trapped, and then I was suddenly pulled further into the darkness by this mysterious force. Luckily, I woke up before the nightmare could progress."

I had managed to recount the nightmare to him in a steady voice, but I still felt shaken as memories of the nightmare flooded back into the front of my mind. Even in the brightness of the middle of the afternoon, I could almost still feel the heaviness of the darkness surrounding me. I could almost remember the feeling of the force pulling me away. And I could definitely remember the feeling of being alone and trapped.

When I looked up at Aiden, I saw that he was looking at me strangely, in a calculating and speculating manner. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were narrowed as he seemed to be studying me. I began to feel self-conscious, wondering why he was looking at me in such a judging manner.

All of a sudden, he asked in a voice that was slow and hesitant, "So… do you remember?"

I was confused by his question, wondering what he was asking me of. "Remember… what?" I asked him, unsure of how else to answer.

But just as he was about to speak, the telephone next to my arm rang, and both of us slightly jumped at the abruptness of the noise. Despite how much I wanted to know what Aiden had meant by his question, I knew I could not let the call go unanswered. After all, any call we received could be a paying customer.

Picking up the phone and holding it to my ear, I then asked in my 'business' voice, "Hello, Earthly Spring Flower Shop. How may I help you?"

Mom's voice unexpectedly spoke from the other end. "Melindia, I just realized that I forgot a sunflower arrangement that I had prepared for Mrs Bennett. I think I left it at the counter," she told me, her voice sounding very annoyed for forgetting something.

I looked over at the end of the counter and saw the sunflower arrangement she had been referring to. "Yes, it's right here," I informed her. "Do you need me to send it over to you at the teashop?"

"No, no, no," she protested. "Don't bother, dear. I'm on the way back right now. Just hold on tight to it, okay?"

Mom then cut off the call, and I put down the phone, just as Aiden asked, "Who was that? A customer?"

"No," I told him, shaking my head. "It's just my mother. She'd left that sunflower arrangement over there that she was supposed to give one of her friends later on, so she's just coming back to retrieve it."

For some reason, a change came over Aiden. He suddenly began to look… anxious. If it were possible for his pale complexion, he seemed to pale even more, and his black eyes started to look afraid and hurried. "So she's coming back here, right now?" he questioned me, his voice tight and hard.

"Umm… yes?"

In a turn of events, he suddenly told me abruptly, "I'm sorry, Melindia, but I've got to go now."

"Huh? What?" I said in utmost confusion, just as Aiden turned away and walked out of the flower shop, leaving the door to close in his wake with a slight jingle of the bell hanging above it.

Suddenly, I was left alone, looking at the exact spot where he had been standing in front of me just a few seconds ago. In the silence of the flower shop, I wondered exactly what had been up with him, and about why he would suddenly disappear at the very mention of my mother.


	6. Chapter 5

_**An Unexpected Rescue**_

Ever since Aiden's sudden leave at the shop, I was still left in a state of confusion and curiosity. What exactly had he meant by 'do you remember' and why would he suddenly look so anxious at the mention of my mother?

I had been meaning to ask him that, but I have not seen him around town for the next few days. Whenever I went to the shop, the grocery store, the bakery, the park and even my secret pomegranate tree, I would keep my eyes open for any sight of his dark hair or his pale face, but my efforts would be pointless. It was as though he had just disappeared from town without a trace.

Now, I felt bad, because I might have been the reason he had disappeared. But then again, I felt annoyed, because who in the world just does that without a real reason?

Feeling the annoyance rise up in me again, I shut my laptop – which I had been using to stupidly find advice on how apologize to guys – and got my lazy butt of the desk chair to make my way downstairs into the kitchen to get myself some of the apple cobbler I had made yesterday, because my stomach was already starting to growl in demand for it.

But when I walked out of my room, something from the corner of my eye caught my attention. The door to my mother's room at the end of the hallway was open, and she was standing in front of her dresser mirror, putting on some make-up as she was dressed in a long-sleeved orange chiffon dress that went to her knees.

"Well, don't you look gorgeous?" I commented with a smile as I entered her room, watching her reflection brushing light rouge powder over her pretty cheekbones. I was immediately blinded slightly by the brightness her room had from the amount of vases of colourful flowers placed on strategic corners of her room, which contrasted with the whiteness of the room walls and the bright sunlight that was streaming through.

Mom smiled brightly at the compliment. "Thank you, dear. It's good to know that you think it's lovely."

"Where are you going?" I asked as I took a seat on the edge of her bed, watching as she proceeded to put down the blush and went for a pale pink lipstick. "On a date?" I suspected cheekily.

Mom huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Melindia. Don't come up with such silly assumptions," she chastised me as she started to put on a pair of pearl earrings. "Lauren Miles, the head of Heatherton's garden society, is having a party today and she personally invited me to be a guest. So that's the real reason I'm getting all dolled up today."

I giggled at the term 'getting dolled up' and then went to help her put on a pearl necklace that matched with her earrings. I took a step back as Mom fluffed up her curly hair to give it more definition. "Melindia, is it alright if you take out the pie in the oven?" she asked me as she went about to prepare her purse. "I have to remember not to forget it when I go to the party."

I nodded and left the room to go downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing and putting on a pair of oven mitts, I pulled open the oven door and carefully took out the pecan pie that had been baking inside it. The aroma of baked pecan nuts and sweet maple syrup wafted in the air, and I sighed at the deliciousness of the scent. But I had to bear in mind the reminder that the pie was not for me, and left it to cool down on a cooling rack. To quench my hunger for the freshly baked pie, I took out the leftover apple cobbler from the fridge and heated it up in the microwave for a minute. When the microwave dinged, I took it out and tucked into the equally-delicious cobbler, savouring the taste of apples and crust.

As I was about to finish the cobbler on my plate, the sounds of heels clicking down the stairs could be heard, and then Mom came rushing into the kitchen, looking through her small purse to check if she had missed anything out.

"Keys… Phone… Powder… Alright, everything's set," she proudly announced, just as the honking of a car could be hear outside. "Oh! And that's Lauren here to pick me up right now. I will be back before eight, Melindia."

Taking the pie dish that had now cooled down to acceptable warmth, Mom kissed me on the cheek and called out a goodbye before heading out the door. Just a few seconds after the door had closed shut in her wake, the sound of a car driving off could be heard. Very soon, the still silence of the house began to set in.

But as I was washing the plate I had used, I now was faced with a dilemma. Although I usually loved to have the whole house to myself, there was nothing to do at home and I was beginning to feel bored right now from lack of company.

I needed something to do and someone to do that something with, and so I headed for the telephone and dialled in the number of the person I had in mind.

"Hey there, Springtime!" Henrietta's bubbly voice answered on the other end of the line. "What has you calling me on this glorious weekend?"

Sometimes, I don't really understand why Henrietta has got to be so loud so often. But then again, this was one of the traits I loved about her as my friend; she was lively and active and there was always something to do with her.

"Hey, Henri," I greeted back. "You busy today? I'm seriously bored right now and there's no one at home, so I was wondering if you'd like to come over, or if you want to hang out someplace else."

A hiss of disappointment was what I heard next, followed by Henrietta saying apologetically, "Gee, Mel… I really would love to right now… I mean, I haven't been to your house in like forever! But… I have a date in an hour with this guy I met at the cafe yesterday."

I stopped her, saving myself before she could continue to explain to me how she had come to know this guy and go on a date with him. "I get it. I understand," I told her assuringly, hiding the disappointment I truly felt. "Don't worry about it. Go and have fun."

"I'll make it up to you, okay? I promise that I'll do something you want to do. Anything you want," she promised.

"I'll hold you to that," I told her, before adding just for the sake of being nice, "Have a nice date, Henri."

When we had exchanged our goodbyes, I put down the phone and proceeded to look around the empty house, suddenly feeling unsatisfied by the fact that it was empty and boring at the very moment. I thought about watching a movie on television, but that would make me some sort of couch potato on such a beautiful weekend. And then I thought about lying down in the garden and read a book while I enjoyed the warm sunshine.

At that thought, I realized that it would be better to spend it at my secret pomegranate tree instead of the garden. It was not really such a bad idea; I could get some peace and quiet, but I would also be out of the house and in the comforts of the park. Heck, I might even have a picnic!

Decision made, I immediately went in search for the only straw-woven picnic basket we had, which I found lying in the back of one of the kitchen cabinets. I then prepared a Tupperware of heated-up apple cobbler with a cluster of red grapes at the side and a small bottle of cranberry juice, keeping both the food and drink into the basket. A quick trip to my bedroom upstairs resulted in a change of clothes from my tank top and short shorts to a casual knee-length shirt dress that was perfect for this warm yet breezy Saturday afternoon. I also grabbed a good book and added it into the basket when I went downstairs once again.

A quick check for my phone and keys later, I was finally out of the house and on my familiar route to the park. As I walked at a comfortable pace, I walked past some familiar friendly faces, like Mrs Luciana Eldridge the sweet elderly woman who owned the local bookshop, Mr Michael Hopper who had at times helped out with electricity and plumbing problems at home, and Kelly Treston who was the president of the high school and always ordered flowers from our shop during special events.

However, not everyone I walked past gave me a friendly greeting.

When I was already in the park and on the pathway that went alongside the lake, I had unintentionally caught the unwanted attentions of two burly men who were seated on a bench nearby. When they caught sight of me, they immediately started to voice a string of wolf-whistles and cat-calls.

"Hey there, baby!" one of them hollered excitingly. "You lonely? Come and join us!"

I only gave them a sideward glare and a haughty sniff to show them that I wasn't interested in their advances, and just continued walking.

"Yeah, sweetheart!" the other exclaimed. "Fancy giving us your number while you're at it?"

Unable to endure that idiocy now, I turned my head to them and narrowed my eyes in warning. "Not interested in you prats," I spat at them poisonously, not breaking my stride and continued to walk away.

I thought that it was finally the end of it and I could finally make my way to my tree in peace.

How wrong I was, because I then realized by the incoming sounds of their voices that they were actually starting to follow me.

"We ain't gonna leave you 'til you give us your number, pretty face," the same guy hollered. "We want to spend some time with you."

"Yeah! Get to know you a lil' bit! Don't be a prude!"

At this point of time, I started panicking and increased my walking pace, hoping that someone would see me and realize that I was in trouble. Unfortunately, it only seemed to excite them even more to the point where they were really chasing after me now. Now, I felt like a hunted down animal, trying desperately to escape its would-be captors.

But all of a sudden, a familiar deep husky voice growled angrily, "Leave. Her. Alone."

I did not stifle the gasp of surprise and relief at the sound of that voice, and I stopped in my tracks and turned to see Aiden, who might have appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of me, acting as a sort of protective barrier against the two burly jerks.

One of them, the hollering one, did not take too well to Aiden's sudden interference in their 'chase', and immediately grunted in annoyance, "Hey, man. Move the hell away. This little lady was bein' rude and not giving us her number even after we asked her politely."

"'Politely'?" Aiden snorted insultingly. "Two assholes like you wouldn't even understand the real meaning of that word, let alone know how to act like it towards a woman who clearly wanted nothing to do with you. Guess you're just too much of dumbasses to see that."

The other burly jerk scowled at the insult, and planted a hand on Aiden's shoulder as he warned, "You heard my pal, you Goth pretty boy. Move. Away."

I then took a step forward, wanting to intervene before Aiden could get hurt. It was already obvious from the contact of the jerk's hand with my saviour's shoulder that things were about to get physical, and seeing that Aiden was more leaner in figure as compared to the bulky forms of my two chasers, I clearly cared more about his well-being than mine at this moment.

But suddenly, something amazing and confusing happened.

Aiden grabbed the meaty hand that was on his shoulder and gave it a seemingly slight squeeze, but it had been enough to draw a howl of anguishing pain from his competitor. The jerk whose hand was trapped in Aiden's hold fell to his knees as though the weight of the world had suddenly been placed on his shoulders like the Titan Atlas, and his face crumpled up in an expression that managed to portray the excruciating pain he felt. His scream of anguish only increased in volume when Aiden squeezed slightly more, and only one thought made me shock and confused.

Did I seriously just hear bone crack?

At that moment, Aiden released his hold on the hand, and both men now looked at him with a look of complete fear. Without hesitation, both of them scrambled away, wanting to escape before _he _could get his hands on any of them.

But Aiden did not give chase. He just looked at them – _glared_, most probably – for a few seconds more, before finally turning around to face me. His black eyes were burning hard with anger and tension, but the fire seemed to have extinguished into a gentle look of genuine concern and worry when he focused all his attentions onto me.

"Are you okay?" he asked hurriedly with utmost concern, taking a step closer towards me. "Are you hurt? Did any of those vile creatures hurt you?"

I did not reply immediately, still a bit shaken by then terrifying fact that I had just been hounded and the confusing thought that Aiden had actually managed to break the hand of a man bigger than him.

I was then pulled out of my daze by the feel of his hands gently grasping my elbows. I looked up, and saw that his face was just mere inches from mine. "Melindia, are you alright?" he questioned once again, his voice rising with anxiety with each word spoken through his lips. This close, I can truly see how far the worry he held for me went.

Numbly, I started to nod my head in reply. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm alright… They didn't hurt me… They didn't even touch me… Thank goodness…" I stammered slightly in a heap of relief, taking deep breaths to slowly calm myself down.

Just then, I was suddenly pulled into an embrace, and I froze in surprise.

Aiden was hugging me protectively, holding me in a way that care and affection was very prominent. I had my face pressed against the curve of his neck, and I could inhale his scent. He had a very unique scent; like warm earth after a rain shower – _petrichor _was the name, as it was something Greek-ish that I had learnt – with a lingering hint of something slightly ashy, like smoke. He smelled so intoxicating and addictive.

I was suddenly aware of his voice speaking softly right next to my ear, "Thank goodness, you're alright… The thought of you getting hurt is so unbearable…"

At first, I thought about asking Aiden to back off a bit, because he was hugging me and that was kind of awkward. But it was at this moment that the hunch that had been borne from the first time I had met him started acting up again.

I began to have the strange feeling that this was not the first time I had been with him in such a way. It was as though some really miniscule small part of me from deep within my being was trying to tell me that I had once breathed in his very delectable scent and I have been embraced by him in such a comforting manner. That very small miniscule part of me from deep within my being was trying to tell me that this was _not _the first time.

Before I could even comprehend that thought, I found myself raising my own arms to wrap around his torso. In just a few short seconds, I too was hugging him back, tightening my arms gently around him and pressing my face into the curve of his neck ever so slightly.

We were suddenly hugging each other so closely and tightly.

I knew I shouldn't have acted in such a way, because we were still getting to know each other and were not actually at that stage where we could get touchy with each other already. However, I told myself that hugging him back in the manner that he hugged me was the most natural thing to do right now, and I had that strange hunch inside me to thank for it.

When we both pulled away at the same time, Aiden's hand never left their gentle grip on my elbows. He looked at me with a soft caring look; a look that could actually make me feel safe and comforted, like how I felt when I was in his arms.

I could not tear my eyes away from his for a while, still entranced by the beauty that he possessed. It made me feel warm inside to think that he was actually concerned about me, and had come to my rescue from my unwanted harassers. In a childish thought, I was the damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shining – the black leather jacket that he had one did have a slight shine from the sunlight – armour that had come to save me from two horrible ogres.

Suddenly, a little voice inside my head was telling me that I had been staring at him for an unnecessarily long amount of time, and I then began to shake out of my stupor. I blinked rapidly and said, "Uhmm… Thank you, Aiden. Thank you so very much. I am so glad that you were here right when I needed help. If it hadn't been for you..."

I was stopped short when Aiden's lips quirked into a small smile, which immediately helped to lighten up his facial expressions. "I'm just glad that you're alright, Melindia," he stated in a relieved voice. "And don't worry. I'll always be there when you need help."

His eyes then drifted downwards to where my hands were, and he caught sight of the picnic basket that I was (surpisingly) still holding onto.

"You're going on a picnic?" he asked with a curious raise of his brow. "By yourself?"

I could only nod my head in reply, keeping quiet as I replayed that little _moment _from just a few seconds ago in my mind.

"At the pomegranate tree?"

"Yes."

Without a change of expression or tone, he then stated, "I'll go with you."

Without waiting for me to say anything, he just took hold of the picnic basket and went on to carry it in his own hand. Meanwhile, his other hand grasped my now free hand and he held it gently as we began to make our way to the thicket where my pomegranate tree was.

I managed to walk at a steady pace alongside him, but I was too distracted by the touch of our skins pressing together, and the fact that drop dead gorgeous Aiden Pater was _actually _holding my hand and going on a picnic with me.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Alright. I've been keeping this in for far too long. Do not read the rest if you do not want to hear me sap.

I've been very disappointed with the lack of responses for this story. Not just reviews in particular, but any sort of responses, like Favourites and Follows and Views. This is already the 6th chapter, but still I am stuck at 11 reviews from up to Chapter 4, and had a decline in views since CHAPTER 2.

The reason why I didn't update on Monday for Chapter 5 was because I simply forgot. Perhaps, the lack of responses has already given me the notion that nobody was going to be interested in this story any longer, and I was beginning to feel afraid that writing fanfiction was already starting to be a chore instead of something I loved to do.

It's also disappointing to know that this story might not be successful as my others, despite the fact that I had spent most of my hiatus working on it and had already completed 17 chapters of it, which will be published as according to the update schedule. So it's a bit sad to know that maybe, this hard work might not be much appreciated.

But still, I shall persevere, and just continue on with the updates, as well as continue writing the future chapters of this story. It may not be as well-liked as how I would like it to be, but I will just live with the fact that I like the way the story is going so far.

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	7. Chapter 6

_**A Day With Him**_

When we had first settled at the clearing, there was an air of tension and awkward silence between us. The tension was mostly thanks to Aiden, who was probably still thinking about the encounter with the two harassing jerks with anger and irritation clear in his facial expression. On the other hand, the awkward silence was most probably because I was still trying to accept the fact that Aiden and I had just hugged out of the blue and that he was now sitting so closely beside me on the ground, having a picnic with me.

I was so nervous, but why wouldn't I be? I mean, here I was going to have a picnic with an extremely attractive and alluring man that I had just begun to know, and who had just a while ago had hugged me and had sworn that he would always be there when I needed help. I don't know about anyone else, but the part about him saying he'll always be there for me was the most romantic thing that anyone has ever said to me.

But still, amidst all the warm and gooey feelings of romance, the fact that whatever had happened was strange did not leave me. I still could not get that distinctive sound out of my head. As much as it sounded crazy, I knew that it was really the sound of bone cracking and breaking. While I was glad that it had managed to send the message straight to the two jerks that they should leave me alone, I was also curious to know how Aiden had done it.

Aiden's lean and tall figure was less compared to the bulking physique of those two. And considering the fact that it was two of them against one of him, there had been no way he could have taken them on. But yet, with just a simple squeeze of his hand on one bulky beefy one, he had managed to send the both of them running away in fear, especially with the glare that he had given them

Either those guys are just seriously weak despite their hulking size, or Aiden was more stronger and powerful than I would have assumed.

But as much as that increased my curiosity, I wanted to shake away that curious and questioning thought, as well as the silence that still continued to hang between us. I finally decided to open the Tupperware container, and a waft of steam escaped from the still warm apple cobbler.

I held the container to Aiden, and I must have finally broken him out of his murderous thoughts, for he suddenly looked at the container in surprise, as though it had just appeared out of thin air.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at the apple cobbler and then to me.

"Apple cobbler," I replied. "I made it myself."

"You made this?"

I nodded my head, and he then took only a pinch of the cobbler. Popping it into his mouth, he slowly chewed, testing the flavour. I could only hope that it tasted delicious for him, and I was glad that it seemed so when his expression turned from calculative to pleased. After swallowing the bit of dessert, he took another broken chunk of the cobbler, exclaiming, "Wow, that's really good! You're seriously a good baker, you know that?"

The blush that was forming started to deepen at Aiden's comment, and my lips immediately rose at the corners into a smile. "Thank you, Aiden. That's really sweet of you."

"Not as sweet as this cobbler right here," he chuckled before popping the chunk into his mouth. I rolled my eyes at the corniness of his words, but secretly I was rejoicing the fact that he was complimenting me once again.

So we started to eat, both of us taking turns at both the apple cobbler and the cluster of grapes at its side. I had managed to amaze him when I flicked a grape into the air and managed to catch it in my mouth, but then it evolved into a sort of game where he would try to catch the grape mid-air before it could reach my mouth. It was fun and engaging, until he accidentally squished one of the grapes when he caught it in his grip.

We both laughed at his mistake, and I even commented jokingly, "Looks like you can't control your strength, can you?"

But when the words had finally been spoken through my lips, I began to realize the true meaning of my words when I truly saw that the hand in question was the hand he had used to break the jerk's hand. He seemed to have caught onto it as well, but he remained silent, simply wiping away the juice on his palm onto the grass.

"Seems like I can't…" I could hear him mutter in reply under his breath, catching the hint of reluctance in his voice. It was as though he did not want to say anything about the matter, but had to because I had asked him.

Once again, silence set in, and I blamed it all on myself. It was stupid of me to bring it up, and I wanted to beat myself in the head for it. But then again, it wasn't really my fault as well, because it was Aiden who wanted to be so secretive over it.

Also, why would he be so secretive over it?

"Are you alright?"

I looked up at Aiden to see him looking at me with concern clear in his dark eyes. "Are you still thinking about what happened?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders lightly, but then admitted that I did. "Those asses will not hurt you, Melindia," he swore protectively. "Not while I'm still with you. I'll make sure that nothing hurts you."

"That's really sweet of you, Aiden," I told him with a smile, glad to hear the words spoken from his lips once again. But then, I admitted to him, "But there are other thoughts that are bothering me at this moment."

"Such as?"

I took a deep breath, wondering if I should just spit it out. But then, I decided why not, because sometimes, there was absolutely no point in lying when you know it's the truth.

"The fact that I haven't seen you in town for the past few days. Ever since the day you first came to the shop and you just left so suddenly, it's as if you disappeared into thin air and without a trace."

Aiden then started to look shameful, as though he had just been caught committing a crime. He pursed his lips and ran his fingers through his groomed-back hair, slightly ruffling it and making it look so sexily tousled. I couldn't even look away from his hair, unable to supress my attraction to his gesture, until he finally spoke.

"I'm really sorry if my leave was sudden and rude, but it's because of personal matters," he told me solemnly yet very apologetically. "I really do hope you understand, Melindia. I didn't mean to just leave like that and make you angry."

I will admit that I had been huffy at why he would just suddenly leave without giving me a reasonable explanation. But when his voice sounded so sincerely apologetic and pleading for my understanding, I knew then that I should just let it slide. He had told me that it had been because of 'personal matters', so I feel inclined to cut him some slack and let it go.

"Don't worry, Aiden. I'm not angry at you. It's just that I was worried why you would suddenly be gone."

"You were worried about me?" he questioned as his eyebrows rose in amusement.

I could feel a deep blush building creeping up onto my cheeks as I thought about why I would say that. But it was actually true, and I really did worry about his well-being during the time that we did not see each other. I don't know if that feeling of worry had just been out of friendly concern, or if I had come to the point where I would actually care about how he was. But nevertheless, I _had _worried about him, so no point in lying and telling him that I hadn't.

I nodded my head in agreement, along with a confirmed, "Mm-hm."

Aiden then smiled his very enchanting and mesmerising smile, looking very pleased at what he was hearing. "You flatter me, Melindia," he commented cheekily.

"Glad that I do," I replied slightly sarcastically. "But in all honesty, I really did worry about how you were, Aiden. I hope you were alright."

"I am, thank you for asking. But I'm not really the most important case, right now. I will also be truthful in saying that I worry for you as well. I've thought of you often while I was away, Melindia."

"Why worry for me? Nothing has happened," I asked him curiously, although I was secretly swooning over the fact that he had just admitted to me that he had thought of me and even worried for my well-being while he was gone. Although that still made me curious, it was the fact that he had thought of me that mattered the most at this very moment.

He nodded his head truthfully, and said, "You've been on the frontlines of my mind ever since I first met you, Melindia. I know that it may sound weird, and I may be a bit too forward, but you really were. You have that effect on me."

I wanted to swoon even more and melt into a puddle of joy at the thought that he had just said that to me. Of course, to anyone else, it may have been a bit too forward, considering the fact that we had only met a few times and we didn't really know that much about each other. But the thought that I may have actually gained Aiden's affections was pleasing to my mind, since it was already obvious that he was starting to gain mine.

Daringly, I shifted even more next to him, until our arms were touching. He glanced at the sudden new contact between us, before meeting my eyes, smiling when he saw that I was smiling as well. Leaning my face forward slightly and keeping hold of his gaze, I told him, "It's actually nice to know that you feel that way about me, because I feel the same way about you."

XXX

When I noticed the sky turning orange and the sunlight slowly fading, I knew that it was time for me to head back. I had received a text from Mom a while ago, telling me that she would be home later than eight because she decided to stay for the garden society's dinner party. While that would leave me with more time to spend outdoors, I really did want to head home before dark.

Aiden insisted that he walked me home, stating that he didn't want me to run into any more trouble like the one from earlier today. I agreed to it, wanting to have him near me a bit longer, and we both headed out of the clearing together. He followed alongside as I walked the path I usually took on the way home, being wary when we passed the area where we encountered the two jerks.

When we had entered my cul-de-sac neighbourhood, I noticed a brief flash of hesitation and worry on his feature when I pointed my house out to him, but it was gone from his features when he realized that it was empty and when I told him that Mom would be back home late. I wanted to question him on that, but I decided not to so as to not cause another happening like the last time in the flower shop.

"Well, here we are," I said to him as we both came to a stop at the front porch steps. "Home is small, but it's comfortable on the inside."

"So it would seem," he replied as he took in the exterior of the house.

I exhaled a nervous breath and looked down at the picnic basket, and I realized that my fingers were nervously tightening and loosening themselves around the handle.

"I had a nice time today, Aiden. And once again, thank you so very much, for what you did today."

His gaze focused on me as softened noticeably. In a soft and gentle voice, he murmured solemnly, "I am just more than relieved that you weren't hurt, Melindia. I'll do anything to not let you get hurt. I promise you this."

I nodded in understanding, feeling myself blush for what must be the umpteenth time. "Thank you for saying that, Aiden. It really means a lot to me," I told him truthfully, feeling myself smile for being touched by his words. "Have a good night, Aiden."

But when I took a step up the steps, I was suddenly stopped when Aiden suddenly said, "Melindia, wait."

I turned my head promptly to look at him, and was caught by surprise when I saw that he was nervous. Running his fingers through his hair, he said uncertainly, "I really did have a good time with you today, Melindia… And… I was wondering if… You'd like to… Have dinner with me… Tomorrow night?"

I froze instantly, wondering to myself if I was hearing things or if Aiden had just _asked me out_.

"Well? What do you say?" he asked, his black eyes looking very hopeful.

So I _wasn't _hearing things, and he _did _asked me out on a date. Now I wondered if this was real life, or if this was just a fantasy. But then I realized that it was indeed real life when I could feel the hammering of my racing heart from within my chest, and the blush that was slowly rising up my neck and starting to spread through my face.

But even with this growing disbelief that this gorgeous creature had asked me out on a date, I more so could not believe that I could simply smile and answer, "Yes, I'd love to."

Aiden let out a chuckle of relief and a smile was really growing on his lips. The sight of him glad that I had just agreed to go out with him made me think of how pleasing it was that a man like him could actually feel that way around me. It was even more pleasing to think that he would have an interest in me, to the point where he would even ask me out on a date.

And so we went on to exchange phone numbers, with him telling me that he'll call when he's going to pick me up. But he did tell me that he was not going to come get me at my house, because he had plans for somewhere else for us to meet.

I did not hesitate to agree, because I actually did not have any intention to let Mom know about it.

When everything was set and agreed upon, Aiden said with the smile still stuck on his lips, "Goodnight, Melindia. And I'm really glad that you agreed. I can't wait for tomorrow night."

"Me too, Aiden. Goodnight, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Finally, Aiden turned and walked away. I stood on the front porch, watching him leave the cul-de-sac. I was glad that I stayed there, because I caught him take a final look back at the house. Seeing me still outside, he waved goodbye, and I returned the gesture, watching as finally walked away from sight.

When I let myself in the house, being met by the silence, I pressed my back against the door and heaved a heavy sigh, unable to believe all that has happened today. But when I finally calmed down and snapped out of my stupor, I immediately dropped the basket that was in my hands to the floor and rushed to the telephone, dialling the number of the first person that had come into mind.

"What is it, Mel?" Henrietta answered with a huffy tone of annoyance. "I already told you that I was going to be on a date."

"Listen, I am about to tell you something _very _important, but you had better not freak out about it," I told her in a rush, wanting so badly to get to the point without her freaking out.

Henrietta responded sounding even more annoyed, "Well, it better be good. And make it quick!" Then, to the guy who she was with at the moment, she said apologetically, "I'm very sorry that my friend here is such a bother."

I decided to ignore that little insult about me, and finally exclaimed, "I have a date tomorrow. With a guy."

Despite me telling her to _not_ freak out, her sudden excited scream that sounded from the other line told me that she was, indeed, freaking out.

XXX

There was a knock on my door, to which I responded with a loud, "Come in!"

I knew that it was Mom before the door even opened, because I heard the familiar sound of her keys unlocking the front door and her heels clicking up the stairs to check my room and see if I was home. I didn't answer the door for her, because I was currently busy at the moment.

"What's all this?" Mom questioned in astonishment, taking in the sight of the clutter that was in my room. Heaps of dresses lay scattered on the double bed, while several different shoes that were all separated from their match were strewn all over the floor.

I was standing in front of my full-length mirror, holding a strapless purple dress to my body to see if it would suit, before I turned to look at Mom. "I'm looking for something to wear tomorrow," I explained to her, chucking aside the purple dress onto the top of the dress pile before grabbing another different dress of the cloth hanger in my wardrobe.

"And where are you going tomorrow?" Mom asked with a curious raise of her brow.

Luckily, I had managed to come up with a good excuse to give to Mom while I was on the phone with Henrietta, and I had even managed to get her in on the lie.

"I'm having dinner with Henrietta. It was sort of a last minute thing," I told her with nonchalance in my voice, luckily hiding away any indication that I was lying so that Mom wouldn't suspect a thing. But to be sure that I had her co-operation, I asked, "Is that alright, Mom? I mean, I haven't been out with Henrietta in a while."

Mom looked at me thoughtfully, and I swore that I could see some hesitancy in her eyes. I suddenly found myself internally wishing that she would give me her allowance, because I really did so badly wanted to go on that date with Aiden. But I kept calm and nonchalant, not wanting to risk rising her suspicion.

Finally, after what seemed to be a long while, Mom smiled and sighed, "Of course, you can, Melindia. You're a grown woman who deserves to spend some time with her friends. And I agree why you would want to go out. You haven't been out of the house for leisure for a long time."

Well, it was also a good thing she didn't know about what I really did today.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Preparation Time**_

I was in darkness again. Complete, pitch black, darkness. There was nothing around me, except for more fathomless darkness that stretched far and wide, almost infinite and into eternity.

Despite it being a bit disorienting at first, it hadn't taken me more than a few seconds to come to realize where I was exactly, and that horrible but familiar sense of fear and anxiety started to set in deeply within me.

_Oh no…_ my mind thought frantically as I looked around all over the null void. _Not again… Oh no, oh no, oh no… Not again… Please, not again… No… No…_

The coldness and emptiness of the void felt terrible, and I could feel myself quaking, wanting so desperately to be out of this nightmare. I knew very well that it was a nightmare, but it was a nightmare that I just couldn't shake myself awake from. No matter how many times I was telling my sleeping self to wake up, there was no response, so I was stuck here, about to face its mysterious horrors, all on my own.

Unfortunately, I started to recall what happened the last time I was here. I remembered the terrible feeling of being deprived of air and of suffocation as I desperately tried to suck in more breath. I remembered the feeling of the darkness closing in on me, trapping me like a cage and making me feel completely confined. I remembered the strange force that had pulled me away into the darkness, and the fear grew worse as I started to wonder if it would be coming back.

As I began to walk, for I knew that it was useless to stand around despite the fact that there was absolutely nowhere else to go, I hoped and prayed and pleaded to the high heavens that it would not come back to me. If I was to be trapped in here, I would rather be by myself than be in danger of a lingering evil that was hidden in the shadows.

Instinctively, I called out for my mother. I knew I was not learning from the last time I was in here, and I knew that there would be no response no matter how many times I may call her, but I still felt the need to do so. Calling her seemed to be the only thing that was keeping me sane in this abyss of dark nothingness.

I just started to walk around aimlessly, crying out in pleading desperation, "Mom! Anyone! Please, let there be someone! Please don't let me be alone here!" There was nothing around – nothing good, more specifically – to answer my calls, but I stuck on to the pointless hope that there could be.

However, all of a sudden, I finally heard something.

"_Melindia…"_

It was a faint voice of my name being called. The voice was that of a man, and it was voice that I could recognise all too well. I could hear myself gasp in surprise at the sound of his voice, followed by the sinking feeling of relief that came from deep within my gut.

"Aiden?" I exclaimed questioningly, unable to believe that I was truly hearing what I was hearing.

"_Melindia… Melindia…"_

"Aiden, are you there?! Where are you?!" I called out for him as I could feel my legs now moving into a sprint, running in the direction where I had heard his voice come from. However, as I continued to run, I realized then that his voice seemed to be coming from all directions around me.

"_Melindia…"_ his voice continued to call my name, sounding so warm and comforting and safe. I wanted to run to him and be safe with him, like how I felt safe within his arms when he saved me at the park.

"Aiden!" I cried out his name again, trying to determine from which part of the void exactly was his voice coming from. "I'm coming for you! Please don't leave me!"

I could almost hear a smile in his voice when I heard him reply, _"I'll never leave you, precious… I'll never leave you… I told you that if we were apart, I would never leave you…"_

Hearing his words made me suddenly stop in my tracks, and I became overwhelmed by confusion at what he had just said. I knew that finding him in this abyss should be the first priority, but I couldn't stop myself from being distracted by what he had just said.

It was then the hunch inside me, which always acted up whenever I was around him, started to take action. I could feel it getting stronger now, becoming slightly more deeper and more rooted into me. And as it did, I began to realize that Aiden may have known something that has got to do with what I was experiencing; a suspicion that he knew something about me that I didn't, but should.

"What? What do you mean 'if we were apart'?" I questioned him as I turned in every direction, my ears staying sharp to detect where he would be when he started speaking once again. "What are you talking about? Why would you say that?"

When he did speak once again, his reply was not something that answered my question, but it was something else that made me delve more into confusion and more arising questions.

"_I finally found you…"_

Before I could ask, I suddenly woke up.

XXX

I sat at the small dining table, tracing my fingers on the rim of my empty teacup, which I had just drank chai from.

Looking out the window next to me, I was in deep thought. Or more specifically, Aiden's words from the abyss still has never left my thoughts, haunting me like a conscience that came from deep within me.

_I finally found you… I finally found you… I finally found you…_

When I had first woken up, I was surprised that I didn't scream in fear and terror, which was something I had expected to do when I realized I had been back in that horrible abyss. I had woken up shocked and confused, but not shaken and afraid. And it became even more surprising when I thought to myself that I should go back into that dream, only because I wanted to find out what Aiden had meant from what he said.

And then, there's that suspicion that what Aiden had said must have a deeper meaning, because the hunch started acting up when he had said it. And that caused even more questions to be asked than answered. Did this mean that Aiden knew the effect he had on me? Did he know something that I didn't, but should? What importance did he hold to the point of being involved in the abyss? Was there more to Aiden that I would have thought?

But there were no answers for those questions at the moment, and it was making the entire matter even more frustrating.

"What does this mean?" I murmured to myself questioningly as I ran my fingers through my hair, messing up the way it was styled into a loose braid. "I'm so confused… What does it mean? What does it mean?"

"I'll tell you what the time means, if that's what you're asking," a voice suddenly spoke from behind me. "It's time for you to chop chop and get ready!"

I turned around in my seat to look at Henrietta, who I was very surprised to see her standing right behind me. I had assumed that she would be working at the cafe today, but it didn't seem like it was so, judging by the tank top, jeans and flip-flops she was wearing.

"How did you get in? Did you break into my house?" I questioned with a frown, because I remember clearly that I did not hear the doorbell chiming a while ago, unless I had been too deep into my trance.

"Oh, ha ha, Mel," Henrietta exclaimed sarcastically as she dropped herself into the other empty chair. "Your mom was outside getting the mail when I arrived, so she let me in."

And that was when Mom came in, looking through a stack of letters she had in her hand. She cast a brief scrutinising glance to Henrietta before looking back at the letters. I knew very well that Mom generally was alright with Henrietta and was on 'okay' terms with her, but I also knew that she had a dislike to her partying lifestyle; something which she had told me was not the type of life for me.

Without tearing her eyes way from the letters, she tutted disapprovingly to me, "Honestly, Melindia. You seemed to be dozing off completely, becoming very inattentive to your surroundings! What if someone _did _break into our house?"

"Nobody will break into our house, Mom," I huffed with a roll of my eyes as I got up from my chair and walked to the sink. Quickly washing, drying and putting away my teacup, I then grabbed Henrietta's arm and pulled her off the seat, leading her to my room.

I had made plans with Henrietta yesterday over the phone. Or more specifically, _she _had made the plans. But no matter how many times I protested and said that it was alright, she even more so insisted that she come over to help me get ready for the date.

So she most probably skipped her shift at work today.

"It's ridiculous," I complained when she had been ushered into my room and the door had been closed. "You really didn't have to skip work, just to help me out for a date. I could do that myself, you know."

Tossing her handbag onto a pillow and flopping flat on her back onto my bed, Henrietta exclaimed, "Oh, pish posh! It's not as if I skip work every day. Besides, this is something that requires my utmost attention. My flowery best friend – my little Springtime – is actually going on her first date tonight!"

In panic, I grabbed a pillow and tossed it right at her face, silencing her immediately. "Shut up! My mom might hear you!" I hissed lowly in warning. Henrietta realized her mistake and did not probe at the subject anymore. But she then said lowly, "Would you really think your Mom would kill you if she finds out you're actually going on a date?"

"No, but she _will_ kill me if she finds out I've been spending some time with a guy she doesn't know about!"

"Woah, that's harsh," she said when she got off my bed and headed to my wardrobe. Now working on pulling out several articles of clothing, she questioned, "So have you thought of what you're going to wear yet? I hope whatever you choose really suits, or else you and I are gonna have a lesson on fashion sense."

I rolled my eyes again, replying, "I do _not _dress bad. And no, I haven't really chosen anything yet."

Henrietta sighed in a mixture of annoyance and frustration as she felt the material of a yellow blouse. "See, this is why I think that it's a good thing you have a friend like me, who is so willing to skip work to help you out ."

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered sarcastically under my breath. "Now hurry up, and help me find something pretty yet appropriate to wear."

XXX

Time seemed to fly as we took turns suggesting outfits that I could wear for tonight's date. It had been two-thirty in the afternoon when we started sorting through the clothes in my wardrobe, and it was already fifteen minutes to four by the time we decided on an outfit. During the course of those near two hours, I did not realize I had so many dresses that I didn't even know I owned until I cleaned out my entire wardrobe.

In the end, we settled for a pretty little black dress that had a flowing skirt that fell to the knees and lace sleeves that covered up to the elbows. It had been one of the forgotten dresses that had been hiding in the back of my wardrobe and I was afraid that it wouldn't fit. But miracles must do exist, because it fitted me like a glove.

Pairing the dress up with a pair of black strap wedges, Henrietta commented, "Not only would you look really sexy, but you would also look really sophisticated at the same time. Your date's is absolutely going to be speechless the whole time. And thank the high heavens for the invention of the little black dress, also known as the 'best thing in fashion'!"

When decisions has been made, I took a quick shower to freshen myself up before heading back to my bedroom where Henrietta was prepared to make me over. Laying out the collection of makeup that I owned, which was quite a reasonable lot, she first worked out the tangles in my wet hair gently before giving my tresses a good drying with my blow dryer. My natural waves then bounced back into place when all was dry, equipped with its natural luscious shine. That was the look Henrietta was hoping for, and she then proceeded to style it into a lovely and elegant half-up, half-down style.

And finally we got onto the makeup, and Henrietta was seriously so hard at work about it that I felt like I was being primped for a photo-shoot instead of just getting ready for a date.

Suddenly, just as Henrietta was lightly applying gold eye-shadow on my eyelids which she stated was a great colour for my skin tone and it helped to make my natural amber eyes look like 'liquid gold', my phone started rang.

In a hurry, I pushed Henrietta away and scrambled to where it was charging on my bed. Looking at the caller ID that was showing in the screen, my heart skipped several beats when I saw Aiden's name flashing.

"Hello?" I answered, trying not to sound breathless with excitement.

"Hello, Melindia," his husky baritone voice sounded from the other end. "Just calling you about tonight. Like I said yesterday, we're having dinner."

"Yes, I remember," I answered coolly, not letting any of my excitement be heard in my tone. Going out with Aiden was indeed something to be eager about, but I did not want him to think that I was being _too _eager.

"And I did say I might have to meet you somewhere before we go there."

"Of course. Have you decided?"

"I changed my mind. I've decided to just pick you up from your house, so that it makes things easier for you," he informed me politely.

So I became slightly surprised by that piece of news. Since yesterday, I have come to the conclusion that Aiden had not wanted to meet me at my house because he did not want to meet my mom just yet, and that was reasonable for any guy that was going to go on a date with a girl of their interest.

But why would Aiden suddenly change his mind?

However, before I could question him on that, a knock sounded from the door, and I panicked. "Uh, hold on for a while, Aiden," I asked of him as I motioned with my hands for Henrietta to open the door.

"Sure, Melindia."

I quickly put his call on hold just as Mom walked in through the door, looking dressed to go out.

"Well, don't you look beautiful?" Mom commented with a smile as she took in the image of me in half-done makeup. "But why aren't you dressed for your dinner date tonight, Henrietta?" she asked my best friend with a curious frown.

I panicked then, trying to think of a legit excuse so as to not arise Mom's suspicion. But luckily, Henrietta, who might have a reputation as a good and quick-thinking liar, immediately answered coolly, "Oh, Melindia's going to follow me to my house after this, Ms Chloe. I'm going to get ready there, then I'm going to drive us to our restaurant."

"Ah, I see," Mom said with a nod, and I silently felt relieved that she actually believed Henrietta's spontaneous lie. I reminded myself to thank her for that later, but right now I needed to maintain a calm nonchalant composure.

"Well, since Melindia's going to be out most of the night, I've decided to go out myself," Mom announced, brushing away invisible dust from the light coat she wore atop a yellow blouse and navy blue knee-length skirt. "I've accepted to have dinner with some friends, so I would have something to occupy myself with during the night. You girls have fun, but don't get into any trouble, alright?"

"Of course, Mom," I affirmed with a nod of my head. "Have fun at your dinner."

Mom then gave me a kiss to the top of my head before leaving the room, closing the door in her wake. Henrietta and I stayed silent as we listened to her walking down the stairs, the sound of the door opening as she exited, and then closing as she left.

When only silence could be heard, I immediately picked up my phone and took the call off hold, hoping that he was still there when I exclaimed, "Hello? Aiden?"

"Still here," his voice answered promptly. "That was quite a while. Is everything alright over there?"

I was amazed that Aiden had stayed on the line the whole time it was on hold, waiting until I could get back to him. That immediately gave him gentleman points in my opinion, and made me feel even more attracted to him by the second.

"Yeah, everything's okay. Anyway, you can come over to pick me up at my house," I informed him. "Any specific time you would be coming?"

"In an hour or so. Is that alright with you?"

I looked at the clock and saw that it was just ten minutes to six. Enough time for me to finish up my makeup and put on my outfit.

"It's perfect. I'll see you then, Aiden."

"See you later, Melindia."

When I ended the call and left my phone to charge once again, I returned to my seat at my vanity table and commented, "It's such a funny coincidence, isn't it?"

"What is?" Henrietta's asked as she prepared to continue on with my makeover.

"The fact that he just told me he'll pick me up at home, and my Mom just suddenly decided to go out." With a relieved yet confused chuckle, I joked, "It seems that the Fates are helping me avoid any sort of interaction between them."

Starting to once again apply gold eye-shadow to my half-done eyelid, Henrietta exclaimed, "Well, thank the Fates for that!"

XXX

The doorbell chimed at seven, and Henrietta was the first to jump off the couch as she exclaimed in excitement, "He's here, he's here! Check yourself out once more while I open the door."

By the time I stood up from the couch and checked the nearby mirror to make sure that makeup was alright, Henrietta had already answered the door. But then, I was suddenly startled by the sound of her gasping in shock. I looked over and saw her standing frozen in place with her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

And then, I heard Aiden's voice asking, "Um, hi. Is Melindia in?"

When I came to the door, I could see the reason why Henrietta would stay frozen.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay, okay. I get that maybe things are starting off quite a bit slow, but this is somewhat a novel, and every novel should have build-up plot before it would reach the peak, right? So let's sit back and relax, enjoy the next chapter with Melindia and Aiden's first (official) date, before things start to go _down_, shall we?

Please do review! Would help me a lot, and I really need to know people's opinions about the story so far!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	9. Chapter 8

_**The Dinner Date**_

Aiden stood on the other side looking like the very personification of beauty and handsome mixed together. Donning an all-black suit that contrasted with his pale skin but complimented his obsidian eyes and groomed-back midnight black hair, he fitted the description of 'tall, dark and handsome' perfectly. He was such an eye-catcher with the poise and elegance that he had in his perfect form, and seeing him in that getup immediately sent my heart racing, and I felt like I could melt into a puddle.

Aiden's eyes met mine, and his lips tilted into a smile when he took in the image of me. I realized at the exact same time that I was wearing black like him, and I hoped to hope that he would not think that I was trying to copy. Luckily, it did not seem like so when he smiled appreciatively at my outfit. I would have thought that he must have given a tad too much attention to my body, but I didn't because his gaze did not linger on my body for too long, for it returned to my eyes immediately. What a gentleman!

"You look beautiful," he complimented, voice almost breathless. "I'm not even kidding. You seriously do look beautiful, Melindia."

That only immediately helped increase the desire to melt into a puddle, too awed by the way he looked and too flattered by his ever-coming compliments. I could feel a natural blush blooming on my cheeks, and I hoped my face didn't actually look red from both the heating of the blush and the rouge powder that Henrietta had brushed onto my cheeks.

Finding my voice although still mesmerised by him, I replied with a smile, "Thank you very much. And I must say; you look very handsome."

Aiden chuckled at the compliment, and I gave myself a mental pat to the back for returning his compliment with my own.

And then, we were both started gazing into each other's eyes, and it didn't seem like we would be looking away from each other for a very long time.

That is, until we both heard Henrietta squeak, "Ohmygosh, Mel. It's that guy. That guy I've told you about. That guy with the impossible dark hair and eyes. That guy."

All moments of seemingly budding romance with Aiden vanished as I felt myself blush in embarrassment at Henrietta. I saw exactly how he then looked at my babbling best friend with a raise of his brow and a clearly weirded and confused expression on his face.

"Ohmygosh…" Henrietta whispered in awe to herself as she continued to stare at Aiden with wide eyes. "You're even hotter up close. I'm sorry, Mel, but I really need to say this to his face in case he didn't know. God, you're so lucky, girl! Why didn't you tell me _he _was your date?"

Aiden's black eyes slid over to me, looking at me with amusement clear in his pair at what he was hearing. At that moment, I wanted to mentally strangle Henrietta for making a fool of me, and on my first date!

Now wanting badly to be off with Aiden, I wordlessly and immediately pulled her out of the house – Aiden was kind enough to step back to give her space – and switched off all the lights in the house before exiting myself and locking the door. Then, to Henrietta, I said immediately and hurriedly, "Well, Henri. Thank you so much for helping me out. Go home now, and have a good night."

I felt bad that I then just left her standing at my porch, but I was way too excited to begin my night with Aiden. Plus, I wanted to whisk him away before another word could slip out from her mouth.

So, without another glance to her, I turned and let Aiden escort me to the cab that was waiting to take us to our dinner date. I could feel her stare on the both of us – or maybe just Aiden? – boring into my back.

When Aiden opened the cab door for me like the gentleman I had presumed him to be, he remarked with an amused smile, "It seems like your friend there can't keep her eyes off me."

I flashed a glance to Henrietta, and indeed she was still standing there looking at Aiden with amazement. After he got into the cab and shut the door, and the cab started driving off to our destination, I replied with a roll of my eyes, "Same goes for me."

XXX

As Aiden paid the cab fare (another gentlemanly act) and thanked the driver, I could not look away from the place that he had brought me to.

We had driven up to one of the small hills that surrounded the outskirts of Heatherton. On this one particular hill, there was a very posh restaurant at the peak, ironically called _Il Picco_, which was Italian for 'The Peak'. This restaurant was well-known in Heatherton for being probably the most fanciest – and most expensive – restaurant in town, and also for its reputedly delicious Italian gourmet food.

"We're eating dinner here?" I questioned in astonishment when I felt Aiden come to a stand beside me. I felt surprised because, never – in as long as I had lived in Heatherton – would I have thought that I would actually be able to eat here. Not only was this place way off my budget, I had always deemed myself as not classy enough to eat amongst its equally posh patrons.

"Don't you like it?" he inquired, sounding a bit nervous.

Instantly, I whipped my head to him and exclaimed, "No! No! I didn't mean that! It's just that I'm admittedly surprised that we are, because I never thought that you would actually take me here for a date. I mean, this exceeds all expectations I had for a first date."

I was afraid that whatever nonsense I was babbling would only make matters worse, so I quickly mumbled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Aiden. I will admit that I'm nervous, considering the fact that this _is_ our first date. But, I really do thank you for bringing us to somewhere really nice."

Without even a hint of anger appearing on his expression, Aiden gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Melindia. I'll do the same and admit that I'm a bit nervous too. And I was hoping for 'somewhere really nice', so it's great that both of us are dressed right for this date."

Then, like the gentleman he had been, he offered me his arm, and I could not help but feel flattered by the gesture. Without hesitation, I took his offered arm, wrapping my hand lightly around the crook of his elbow, and we both made our way up the small flight of steps to the door.

He opened the door for me, holding it as I walked in, then led me to the lectern that was next to the actual entryway into the restaurant. There, the hostess – a young woman who may be slightly a few years older than me – stood there, looking bored as she flipped through a thick book.

When she looked up at us, I could immediately see just how bored she had been on her job. But when her eyes settled on Aiden, all traces of boredom immediately vanished, replaced by a look of intrigue and, obvious, attraction.

"Good evening. Welcome to Il Picco, the finest restaurant for Italian gourmet in Heatherton," she greeted mostly to Aiden in a voice that was a bit too sweet for me. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, I do," Aiden answered. "A table for two, please. Under the name of 'Aiden Pater'."

The hostess looked through the names that were listed on the opened pages of the thick book until she came to a stop at the slot that presumably had Aiden's name on it. "Ah, here we are," she said as she proceeded to pull out two leather-bound menus from under her lectern. "Follow me, sir."

We followed the hostess into the restaurant silently, with me silently fighting the annoyance that the bloody hostess did not even once acknowledge me because all her attentions were on Aiden. I get that he was handsome and indeed very eye-catching, but he was _my _date, and she did _not _have to make it so obvious that she was making him her eye candy.

But that annoyance in my head was put aside as I began to take in the breath-taking interior of the restaurant. Like I had imagined, it was fancy to the max. I was immediately enamoured by the red and gold theme, especially in the soft lighting which gave it an even more alluring – and romantic? – atmosphere. In the background, a soft ballad could be heard playing, adding even more to the atmosphere of romance which was already present. On the walls, some artwork that fitted the décor of the restaurant's interior.

The hostess led us to a table that was located somewhere at the middle of the huge room, and I noticed that the table had a candlelight, which only made the situation more romantic than I could ever imagine.

"Here is your seat, sir," the hostess told Aiden sweetly as she gestured to one of the chairs and ignored me completely.

But Aiden did not take the seat. Instead, he pulled it open and gestured for me to sit. The hostess was immediately flustered that he did not sit there, and I could catch a glare on her face as I took the seat with thanks. So she gestured to the other seat and was immediately satisfied when he did.

Passing the menu to him with a big smile while giving me mine without even looking at me, she told him, "Our special tonight is the _Pollo alla potentina_ – Potenza-style chicken braised with tomatoes, onion, white wine, peperoncino, and topped with fresh basil, parsley and _pecorino_ cheese. Our special wine tonight is _Pecorino _white wine. Your waiter will be attending to you shortly. I hope your dinner tonight will be a fine one, sir."

"Thank you very much," Aiden replied as he started to flip through the menu. The hostess then smiled rather… seductively at him, the attraction she felt towards him growing more noticeably as the seconds passed. But when she turned to go back to her post at the lectern, I caught her casting a quick glare to me, to which I responded with my own.

"Is she causing you any problems?" Aiden asked, concern clear in his voice and face.

"Other than ignoring me, she's practically trying to get you to notice her," I told him in a huffing sigh as I too picked up my own menu and started flipping through, scanning all the Italian-named dishes that I, admittedly, did not really understand. "It seems that she was hell-bent on doing it too."

"Really?" Aiden asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "I barely even noticed that she was, because my eyes are too busy admiring you."

I raised a brow at that, but a smile spread through my face. I did not think that he was lying, because he looked and sounded really sincere when he said that. That, and also because had so far been one of the most kindest people I have ever met, and maybe the possibility that he has a crush on me was what fuelled me to believe him immediately.

"So… this is a really swanky place," I remarked as I took another good look around the restaurant. "I never had expected that you'd bring me somewhere like this. You really must be loaded to even manage to get a reservation here."

Aiden shrugged his shoulders, and then humbly replied, "I don't want to make it seem as though it was a too flashy attempt of wooing you, nor do I want to make it a show of my wealth. I just wanted to treat you to something nice."

"And trust me, you have," I told him in reassurance. "This is really nice, and no one has ever done anything like this for me before. In fact, to just be _very _honest with you, you're the first date I ever had."

My words caused an intriguing spark in his eyes, and he clearly took interest in the topic. "So you never dated any other men before me?" he questioned. When I nodded my head in agreement, he asked, "Why not? Surely a beauty like you had gained the attentions of many, and I'm sure that there must have been a few that have caught your eye as well."

I scoffed and shook my head in denial. "A lot of unwanted attentions, yes," I told him, briefly remembering yesterday's incident at the park with the two douches. "And no, none of them has ever caught my eye. I know what goes on in their minds when all they look at is my face and body, but not my personality."

"I see," Aiden murmured in understanding. "But is there any other reason, if you do not mind me asking?"

"Well, there is the fact that I'm quite a mommy's girl," I admitted to him with a light laugh. "My mother and I are very close, and she has a tendency to be overprotective at times, especially when it comes to guys. I know it's kind of childish of me, but I don't really want to give her any displeasure, since she and I have been together all my life that I consider her my bestest friend. That's why I don't date so much, or at all."

He looked at me with a hard, emotionless gaze, which may or may not hold some other meaning beneath the façade. He seemed to take in my words as intently as sponge absorbing water, letting it soak into his mind all that I had just said to him.

"So why am I an exception?"

I was caught by surprise at his question, but nevertheless I began to think it over. Indeed, why was he an exception? Despite the fact that here we were now, he was still practically a stranger to me, having only met him for just a few times. But, there was something about him – something that went much deeper than the pull of attraction I felt towards him and the urge to know this mysterious man who just popped into my life so suddenly – that beckoned me to be close to him as much as possible.

And in addition to the strange occurrences that were happening to me lately, all the more reason to do so.

"Maybe it's because I somehow knew that you were different from any other guy I've met?" I reasoned with a smile. "And maybe because you saved me, and I felt the need to thank you? Anyone who would be willing to do that for me will immediately be in my instant 'likes'."

He still looked at me with deep thought when he questioned, "But you're not afraid that your mother would find out?"

And here came the confusion I felt whenever the topic of my mother came up. Why was it that Aiden seemed so worried about my mother, even though he had never met her before? Possibly could be due to the nerve-wrecking thought of meeting a (possible!) significant other's parent, but why was it that he seemed so serious about her in general?

But pushing that thought aside until I had more time to ponder on it, I replied, "I'm a big girl, Aiden, and I do what I would wish to do, as and when I feel like it. If I want to spend some time with you, I won't tell her so that she wouldn't get on my case about it, but I'll still spend time with you regardless."

Luckily, that finally seemed to make him at ease, and he smiled as though the words were like good news to him. "Well, I'm very flattered indeed, Melindia," he replied with a grin that flashed to me all his pearly whites. "Likewise, I have never dated anyone else."

I could feel my eyes widen in complete surprise. "You can't be serious," I protested, in entire disbelief. I mean, who would actually believe that Aiden, who was most probably the very epitome of handsome, had never dated anyone before. Girls would have most probably been willing to throw themselves at his feet, just for the chance to go on a date with him. I know Henrietta might, and that flirty hostess. I just feel blessed that he had been willing to give me his attentions.

But yet, he shook his head in disagreement, and answered, "I swear that I have never gone out with any other girl beside you. Simply because all of them are only interested in the way I look, but not who I am. And also the fact that none of them has caught my eyes as much as you had."

All fell into silence afterwards as we finally start to decide what we would like to have for dinner, but I could not stop myself from mentally smiling at what he had just said to me. Not only did it make my heart soar, but it made me feel even more confident of the fact that both of us may actually have mutual crushes and interests for each other.

After a while of reading through the menus and sipping the water that they have served us shortly before, a young man came to our table. "Hello, my name is Robert, and I will be your waiter for tonight," he greeted with a big smile, his eyes focused solely on mine. "Have you decided what you would like to have?"

Robert was still looking at me when I told him what I wanted – some sort of creamy risotto dish – but was still writing down my order and ignoring Aiden when he told him his order. When he asked what drinks we wanted, he didn't pay attention to Aiden, even though he was the one who asked him for two glasses of _Pecorino _white wine.

"Well, he was rude," Aiden grumbled, glaring daggers at Robert when he left. "He dares to just stare at you, like you're a prize to be won, despite the fact that I am clearly seated here."

"Aiden, are you jealous?" I questioned him in amusement.

Looking back at me with a more calmer façade, he replied, "Of course, I am. I am your date, aren't I?"

"Well, guess you already know how I feel about you and the hostess," I giggled in response. But then, daringly, I placed my hand atop Aiden's hand and smiled at him in reassurance. Aiden looked surprised at the gesture, and so was I because I never have ever thought that I would do such a thing. But by this point, I was already comfortable in Aiden's presence, so just a little bit of hand-holding seemed alright for me now.

"But don't worry, Aiden. Because, like you said, 'my eyes are too busy admiring you'."

A smile broke out on his face, just as he moved his hand to hold mine, and we both just simply gazed into each other's eyes, smiling as all attentions focused on just one another.

XXX

During the course of the meal, as we ate and sipped _Pecorino_, we talked and talked and talked, getting to know more about each other. From this, I learnt that Aiden's favourite animal were dogs, his favourite colours were red, silver and black, and he was actually a globetrotter, having travelled to so many countries in the past years but now had decided to settle down in Heatherton for a while.

After a hearty and delicious meal of gourmet pasta and sweet white wine (we were mindful to drink it in small amounts, although I had been tempted to drink slightly more because of its exquisite flavour), we were finally done with dinner. Aiden had insisted that he paid for the meal, and he told me that he didn't mind because I was his date. I don't know if he knew about my thoughts to suggest that we split the bill, but I just kept quiet and let Aiden do it.

When she thought I wasn't looking, the hostess had slipped him her phone number, asking him to call her if he felt 'bored'. I wanted to be insulted and angered by this, and I internally fought the urge to cause a huge stink in the restaurant even though I so badly wanted to tell her off. However, I was glad that Aiden had simply crushed the small slip of paper and left it on the lectern, stating that he had no use for the number since he had no intention of calling her for anything. This caused a look of immense shock and crushed hopes for the flirting hostess, which turned into a deadly glare when she caught me giggling at how very dismayed she looked. Aiden had not taken any notice, and simply walked me out of the restaurant.

Surprisingly, there had already been a cab waiting for us, and Aiden opened the door for me like he did earlier on. But instead of giving directions to either of our homes, he asked the cabbie to take us to the park.

"There's one more thing I wanted to do with you before we end the night," Aiden told me with a mysterious smirk that sent chills of curiosity and anticipation up my spine.

"And that is?"

"You'll see," he simply replied.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay, okay. I swear that this will be the last 'boring' chapter, and that things will finally take a turn from here. Just try to guess; why exactly is Aiden taking Melindia to the park?

Pease do leave a review! Helps me out a lot!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	10. Chapter 9

_**A Good Night... Gone Wrong**_

It was relatively quiet as we sat in the back seat of the cab.

While my attention was mostly on looking out the window, I couldn't help but slide my gaze to the corner of my eye every once in a while, just to look at Aiden. He too was looking out the window, but I couldn't stop the assumption that he was probably more focused on my slight reflection in the window glass. I could almost feel the weight of his piercing eyes on me.

But in the midst of our silence, I kept on wondering about what he had planned for us to do at the park. Since it was night time now, there was not much to do at the park, except maybe to take a nice walk, or have a rest by sitting on a bench in front of the lake, or maybe to have a make-out session…

_Goodness sake, Melindia! Don't you think you're overthinking a bit?_

Already such thoughts were awkward for me, and I was beginning to feel nervous that Aiden may have been able to sense it. At first, I wanted to say something to break this silence, but there was an air that was running about Aiden that told me to give him some silence. When I sneaked a look at him from the corner of my eye, I could even see that he had an expression of very deep thought.

When we finally reached the park and had paid the cabbie the fee, Aiden took my hand and began to lead me somewhere, his hold gentle but strong. I could not get over the fact that he was actually holding my hand again, and I savoured in the feel of his warm and silky smooth skin. We walked side-by-side on the pathway by the lake, our steps syncing each other's and paces matching. Many times I sneaked glances at Aiden, only to find him glancing back with a smile.

But the longer we walked, the more I began to wonder where we were it was. And then I began to notice the familiarity of the surroundings, and I asked in surprise, "We're going to the pomegranate tree?"

"Yes," he answered, his eyes flashing to me briefly before going back on the pathway ahead of us. "There's something special that I want to do with you."

_And what could that 'something special' be? _I questioned to myself as I felt myself becoming anxious yet excited of what was to happen there. Many thoughts came into mind, with some making me blush.

It wasn't really that dark when we entered the thicket. The luminescent shine of moonlight casted a soft yet bright-enough glow for us to see, but it had such an effect on Aiden.

In the paleness of the silvery-white light which shone onto his pale skin, he seemed to radiate so enchantingly amongst the darkness of the shadowed trees. His obsidian eyes, despite being so fathomless, seemed brighter in the moonlight as well, looking so beautiful and ethereal that it was almost impossible for me to look away.

When we had reached the tree which was illuminated by the moonlight which passed through a gap in the canopies, he then turned to look at me, and I knew I was still staring but I simply could not look away. However, just to make that fact a little less awkward, I spoke the first thing that came into mind.

"Artemis' moon is bright tonight, isn't it? You look like you're almost glowing in the moonlight, Aiden."

He raised a brow, and his expression turned into one of speculation. "Why would you mention Artemis?" he asked me.

"I always think of Artemis when I look up at the moon," I told him, still inwardly admiring his enchanting beauty in the moonlight. "When I look at the moon, I see silver Artemis. When I feel the warmth of the sun, I know that golden Apollo is there. When I see a family happily bonding, glorious Hestia is looking out for them. When lightning strikes in a thunderstorm, almighty Zeus shows his power."

When I walked past him towards the tree, I cupped a pomegranate in my hand, and told him, "And whenever I come to this pomegranate tree, the fruit reminds me so much of the story of Hades and Persephone."

Upon further thought, I then began to chuckle in amusement to myself, and said, "It's funny how I always see everything as connected to Greek mythology. A little weird, but that's just the way I am. I guess my obsession is stronger than I thought."

Aiden looked at me with deep focus, his eyes burdened with many heavy thoughts that I knew were flooding his mind right now. He seemed to be in some sort of contemplation, wanting to make a move, trying to decide if it was the right or wrong thing to do. His expression was calculating, as though he was trying to weigh out the pros and cons of what he was about to do next.

"Do you feel connected to the pomegranate?" he asked in a low murmur.

"Well, yes. In a way," I answered truthfully, my interest quipped at the possibility of where this conversation was going. "Do you?"

"Yes," he replied, taking a step closer to me. I could detect a tone of solemnity and wistfulness, as though he had said it out of a deeper yet sadder meaning. It made me wonder what the reason behind it was, just as he added, "Because it reminds me of all the memories I've had with you."

His words were what made me look away from the pomegranate and at him in utmost confusion. "You mean from the first time we met here on this exact corner?" I asked him. "Well, that's really flattering of you, Aiden."

Surprisingly, he shook his head in disagreement. "No… Further than that…" he told me in a low murmur. "Way further… Before you were taken…"

Now the confusion in me grew tenfold, but yet, for some reason, I began to feel strange by the question. "What do you mean 'further than that'? And what do you mean 'before you were taken'? I didn't know you further than last week, and I wasn't taken from anywhere. Aiden, what are you talking about?"

"Have you ever had the feeling that you may have known me before?"

I could not stifle the shocked gasp that escaped through my lips, and I took a step back as though his question had caused such a powerful impact. As I stared at him with widened shocked eyes, I thought to myself about the fact there was _absolutely _no way that Aiden could have possibly known that on his own, lest he had the ability to read minds, or he just knew somehow. But I doubted that both possibilities were actually possible.

But even with those doubts, I could still question, "How did you know?"

There was no point denying the fact that he knew what I was experiencing, because I bet that it was already obvious from my taken-aback reaction. But on the other hand, it only helped to cement the possibility that he might know what was going on that was causing me to think like that.

Keeping myself calm and braving myself to stand confidently in front of me, I then went on to explain in earnest. "Ever since I first met you, I had this deep hunch inside me that kept on telling me that I know you."

But despite how calmly I wanted to take this moment of questions, I couldn't keep myself in focus. I kept on looking down at the ground, trying to find the right words to put into sentences, but my mind was so jumbled up in so many messy thoughts that I really don't know which one to begin with.

The question about how I felt like I know him?

The question about where did he come from?

The question about what he was doing here in town?

The question about why he had decided to come to me?

Or…

The question about who he _really _was?

"I have never even seen you before in my entire life. So why is it that I feel like I know you?" I asked him, almost expecting the proper answer from him.

Aiden did not say anything, nor did he stop looking at me with such deep and silent focus. He took steps closer and closer to me until he finally stood right in front of me, towering over me by a foot or so. This was not the first time that he and I had stood so close to each other, but it still managed to make me feel tingly all over. As I looked up into his impossibly dark eyes, I could feel myself slowly melting internally at his smouldering gaze.

All of a sudden, he raised a hand and brought it to cup my cheek. My breath hitched at the contact of his fingers on my skin, but I did not once break my gaze on him. As we continued to look deeply at each other and his fingers slowly stroked the side of my face, I was only now realizing how very intimate this moment was, and it made me blush.

"Maybe because… you _do_ know me," Aiden finally said in a low, breathy murmur. "And maybe because you have seen me, but you just forgot."

I shook my head in disagreement at his words. "No. If I had ever seen you before in my life, I don't think I would have forgotten," I told him adamantly. "You're not one of those people that could be easily forgotten, Aiden..."

Aiden's lips lifted into a smile then, but it wasn't the usual smile of amusement or sincerity or just general happiness that I had always seen. Instead, this particular smile was sad and melancholic, and it was enough to make my heart break at the sight of him starting to look the same.

His fingers froze, just as his voice spoke in a pained tone, "Oh, but you have… You've forgotten all about me… About us…"

And it was then he took me into his arms, and his head leaned down to lavish kisses upon my neck.

I gasped so audibly at the sudden feel of his soft lips on my neck, and I froze completely in place out of shock. My hands fell limp to my sides, held there lightly by Aiden's embrace. I stood there doing nothing but stare at the trees behind him with widened eyes, although my focus was firmly on the fact that Aiden was hugging me and kissing my neck. This close, I could also really inhale the scent of his cologne. The distinct scents of cedar wood, cardamom and Egyptian musk; so smoky and spicy and sweet, it made me want to sigh in pleasure.

"Aiden…" I could hear my voice whispering his name, questioning at his sudden actions. But I realized that it came out sounding breathy and pleasured, as though I was under some form of ecstasy.

He only continued to pepper soft kisses upon the exposed skin, his lips travelling upwards the curve of my neck until it finally pressed the side of my jaw. Under his breath, he murmured, "I've waited too long for this... I have been denied of this for too long… I crave for this… I need this… I need you…"

"…Aiden…"

This was supposed to be wrong, because I was having this very… intimate… moment with someone I didn't really know, and on our first date! I had half a mind to push him away from my neck, and tell him that maybe we were taking this a bit too fast. However, a sigh escaped me despite of myself, and I suddenly found myself bringing my hands up to grip at his hair, messing it out of its groomed-back style. His dark midnight locks were like soft silk to my fingertips, so desirable to touch.

I remembered once, a long time ago, I must have enjoyed this feeling of close intimacy; this warm, heart-racing sensation that ignited within me and overwhelmed me in seconds. I remember loving this experience, and always begging for me.

But like anything else that concerned Aiden, I truly did not know.

My fingers roamed downwards, allowing his tresses to glide smoothly between the gaps of my digits. Finally, I came to the nape of his neck, and my fingertips played around with the soft hairs there. It seemed to excite him, for I could hear his breath hitching and him groaning in pleasure lowly.

My fingers kept teasing his nape, and it continued to go down and down…

Until the feeling of a metal chain made me stop.

I hadn't realized that Aiden had been wearing something around his neck. But then again, it must have been hidden underneath the collar of his light black shirt, and maybe because I really didn't pay that much attention to his neck when my focus had been entirely on his face.

At first I thought nothing of it, thinking that it was just some plain accessory that he would wear for fun. But that thought seemed redundant when I could feel something heavy hanging off the chain.

Curiosity got me, for I suddenly pushed him away, just as I pulled the chain out from underneath his shirt. Aiden froze then, but I did not pay mind to him when I laid my eyes on what hung off the chain.

There was not just _something_. It was actually two things.

One was a simple silver band that seemed to glow in the soft silvery moonlight. The other ring was similar to that of the first, with the exception of having a perfectly circular cut red ruby as the centrepiece, adorned with miniature diamonds encrusted all around it, giving it a glow that was just as ethereal as the other one's.

Two rings.

Two very beautiful rings.

Two very beautiful _wedding _rings.

But my focus was mainly on the female ring, my gaze locked on the lone ruby stone that reminded me so much of a pomegranate seed… And I could even vaguely remember myself wearing that very ring on my own right ring finger… A long, long, long time ago…

"It's so beautiful…" I whispered out of awe and admiration, lightly touching the two rings, feeling the smooth metal and diamonds on the tip of my finger.

"They're mine."

And that was when I froze into place.

Usually, other people would have presumed that those rings held some sort of sentimental value to Aiden, considering the fact that he had worn it from a chain around his neck – where it would be the closest to his heart – and he was looking at it with such melancholy in his eyes. Maybe it had belonged to someone before him? Maybe his parents? Or his grandparents? Or a good old friend?

However, I could not presume those, because Aiden spoke with a voice that somehow really told me that it did belong to _him_.

"Yours?"

He nodded his head silently.

My heart began to race when I thought of the next few words that had appeared on my mind. My tongue began to feel numb and heavy, as though it did not want to say what I fearfully suspected. I could feel all thoughts leave my head, except for that one certain new thought.

Even though I felt like I couldn't say it, I did.

"Are… you… married?"

The racing of my heart only increased when Aiden fell into silence, but he still continued to hold my gaze. His dark eyes were blank, and I could not read anything from them. I could not even get the slightest hint of what he was possibly thinking. However, I hoped to hope with all my heart that he was not going to say what I dreaded he was going to say.

But it seemed that the Fates were working against me on this.

"Yes," he answered in the most solemn of tones.

I could feel myself stiffen all over. It was true; I could hardly even move a muscle. I did not blink, speak, twitch or breathe at the impact that his simple answer had on me. That one simple word had actually been enough to strike me senseless and numb, unable to think of what to say in a response to this.

"Melindia?"

"Where is… she?" I asked without looking at him, internally struggling to keep myself calm and neutral. But I doubt I was being such, judging by how my enclosed fists were obviously trembling at my sides. "Is she… Is she…" But right afterwards, I did not want to say anything, because I did not want to be rude if it was true that he was a divorcee or… a widow.

However, Aiden seemed to know what I would have been talking about, for he then shook his head in disagreement. "No…" he told me seriously. He then took a deep inhale of breath, before admitting in a deep sigh, "She's still my wife, and she's still alive. So very, very near, and very, very much alive."

Now that… was a real blow to my heart.

And at that moment, an imaginary tidal wave of jumbled emotions crashed upon me, drowning me in all that it brought within it. The feelings of overwhelming shock and astonishment were felt, immediately taking over my entire being. However, those two feelings could not even compare to the more bitter, heart-wrenching feelings of anger, confusion, disbelief, betrayal and sadness that was now starting to eat at my slowing heart.

I could only look at Aiden in accusation, feeling disbelieving that he had just actually admitted to me that he was, _in fact, _married, his wife was still around, and he had dared to even get to know me and actually take me out on a 'romantic' date.

Oh, for goodness sake! How could I have been so stupid?! How could I have let myself be swayed by this guy who I barely even knew, and let him charm me so easily?! And to think – that I would _actually_ think! – that something bigger and more serious could blossom between us?! Was I just some sort of game to him?! Did he just attempt to get to me while he pushed his wife to the side?! Was he just some sort of douche who was just looking for some other girl to _play _with?! Now I look like a fool! A stupid fool! A stupid fool who was tricked into being so cheap as to be swayed by a stranger who turned out to be a married man!

Anger suddenly ignited within me as a small spark, which then grew into a huge wildfire that started to spread throughout my entire being. I could feel my heart racing frantically, on sync with how the blood in my veins started boiling furiously. My trembling fists at my side were starting to tremble even more, with the tip of my nails pressing into the skin of my palm so very hard and forceful that I knew I would able to break skin and spill blood with just the slightest bit more pressure.

One would not even know the things I wanted to do to Aiden at that moment, as a sort of payback for the way he was making me feel betrayed from blatantly admitting to me that he was truly a married man and that he did not tell me. Screaming and yelling were two of those things, as well as punching and slapping him in the face.

But then, I found myself simply pushing Aiden away and making my way out of the clearing.

"Melindia?" I heard him call my name out in confusion. I knew that he was following me.

With a simple turn of my head to cast a glare that had been able to make him stop in his tracks, I spat poisonously, "Stay away from me, Aiden. Just stay away from me. And don't even dare to follow me."

Without casting another look at him, I looked ahead again and proceeded to walk out of the clearing, leaving Aiden behind, and trying to control the hate and rage that threatened to burst from within me.

XXX

"Melindia?"

I did not bother to look at the door, where Mom was poking her head through the crack. I just continued lying slack on my side on the bed, wrapped up in my comforter. But I did respond to her with a soft whisper of a 'yes?'

"Sorry to wake you, honey," she told me apologetically.

"It's okay," I said reassuringly. "I haven't even slept yet."

"How was dinner?"

With a deep breath, I calmly replied…

_It was horrible… My date turned out to be married man… He still has a wife… I feel cheap and used… I nearly became someone's slut… He was using me… He only wanted to 'play' with me… I hate him… I hate him for life now…_

"… It was fine…"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

If anyone recalled Chapter 3, Aiden had been wearing a chain with something on it around his neck, which is his most precious treasures.

Oh, Melindia! Things with Aiden are taking a turn for the worse! Indeed, your good night has gone TERRIBLY wrong! But can things take a turn for the better in the time to come? And is Aiden really what you think he is?

Please do review! Certainly helps me out a lot! And see you on Monday!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	11. Chapter 10

_**Bad Way To Start a Monday**_

I was back in the darkness.

All around me was the familiar fathomless and infinite blackness. I could feel the frightful chill from the emptiness and solitude of this vast and large dark void slowly starting to seep into my bones, making my hair stand on an end and my skin crawl. I stayed where I stood, completely still and silent, looking around and seeing only even more darkness that possibly stretched forever and forever to no end.

However, this time it was different. This time, I was not alone in this infinite void. Before I could even say anything, shout anyone's name in a desperate attempt to find another soul in this mystery, there was already someone calling my own name. And it sounded so very clear as to whose voice it was.

"_Melindia… Melindia…"_

The sound of his voice made me cringe and tremble, and part of me wished that it was someone else other than him that was speaking to me. I initially wanted to ignore his voice, rather facing the silence of this abyss than hear it and have it occurring painful memories that were already niggling in the back of my mind and getting bothersome.

However, despite what I strongly felt towards hearing his voice, I found myself still answering to him, asking him to the air, "Where are you?..."

When he replied, calling out my name, his voice sounded much nearer than before. Now it sounded as though he was just a few steps away from where I stood. Instinctively, I turned in the direction where his voice came from and started to walk towards where he could possibly be, a part of me really hoping that I would be able to find him for a change.

"_Come to me…"_ his voice seemed to echo throughout the void, ringing in my own ears and mind as well. _"Come to me… Melindia… Come to me…"_

"I am coming..." I answered him reassuringly, despite the fact that half of my mind was telling me over and over again to stop and not respond to him anymore. It did so with the constant, but weak, reminder of what had happened between us that left us on bad terms. I did not know why I did not obey my inner conscience, but maybe it was partly because of the fact that it was either I go to Aiden and find some company in this dark void or suffer internally by being all lonely and afraid once more, or maybe because my body was working on its own will, as though I was being controlled by something else.

When he spoke again, his tone changed entirely. His voice now sounded so very pained and saddened, like some sort of heavy and despairing burden had suddenly been thrust onto him and set quickly into his heart, making it weigh more heavier with the burden placed upon it.

"_Don't leave me… Don't leave me… Don't leave me… Don't be apart from me… I cannot bear to be apart from you any longer… I will not bear it…It pains me so much… Please don't leave me…"_

Like maybe every single moment that I had been with him, I began to be overwhelmed with confusion once again at his words. I was so very confused as to why he would say such things about me. What was the reason for him to say that? What had prompted him? And why would he say that to me?

But as I started to wonder and ponder for what might already by the umpteenth time, he then said the four words that he had said to me the last time that the both of us were in the abyss together. The four words that – I could not deny – were still stuck in my head, haunting me as a lingering thought.

"_I finally found you…"_

However, this time he added something else. Something that was able to shake me to my core as well.

"_But you have yet to find me…"_

Before I could even part my lips to speak, I suddenly found myself sitting up in my own bed, right back in my own room. The realization that it was all just a dream hit me like a sudden splash of cold water to my face; immediate, unexpected and shocking.

XXX

_Yellow daffodils… Red tulips… Blue baby's breath… Yellow daffodils… Red tulips… Blue baby's breath… Daffodils… Tulips… Baby's breath… Yellow… Red… Blue…_

The most probable reason as to why I was monotonously and repetitively arranging yellow daffodils, red tulips and blue baby's breath in that particular order in one of the spare empty vases was because I was doing it as a way to distract myself from the memory of the dream. I just thought that a task that was absolutely boring and completely unnecessary would be able to repel any thoughts of the void or Aiden or those four words he had said to me.

But despite having been so sucked into my very mundane activity already, I was unfortunately not in the best of moods since the morning. Or more specifically, since I first woke up from my sleep. Whatever had happened in that dream had left me in such an unsatisfactory state of confusion and annoyance that it now ended up to be a burdening thought, which only increased my irritation and frustration. When the working day had started, I had already spent the better part of my morning full of pent-up anger and agitation that I feel like I could break any minute now.

And it _really _did not help that I was having the normal case of the Monday blues as well.

"Yellow… Red… Blue…" I muttered to myself under my breath as I did not break my steady pace of inserting a yellow, red, then blue flower into the nearly-full vase. "Daffodils… Tulips… Baby's breath… Yellow… Red… Blue… Daffodils… Tul-"

"Melindia!"

The sudden loud call of my name was what immediately made jump and drop the remaining stalks of yellow daffodils, red tulips and blue baby's breath onto the floor, scattered almost all around my feet. I gritted my teeth and grumbled in my throat as I bent down to pick them up, just as Mom walked into the room. She took one look at the arrangement of yellow daffodils, red tulips and blue baby's breath in the vase and huffed.

"Melindia, are you still on that arrangement? What is it for anyway? Surely not for fun, because I am sure that you can do much better!" Mom exclaimed with a haughty huff.

"Mom…" I muttered under my breath, the will to keep my annoyance to myself straining.

"Anyway, stop wasting time on that silly thing! We have work to do! Orders to fill! Actual floral arrangements to be arranged! So hurry up and get right to it!"

"Mom," I said again, this time through gritted teeth.

"Come on now, Melindia!" she continued to nag, the volume of her voice getting louder and louder with every word she spoke. "Stop wasting time! You know I don't like dallying about! What's more we have a huge order to fill! We need to get peonies and roses and lilies and gardenias and…"

"MOM! CAN YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT WORK AND ORDERS AND FLOWERS FOR JUST A FEW SECONDS?! I'M ALREADY HAVING A BAD START TO A MONDAY AND THIS IS ONLY MAKING IT WORSE!"

Only when I had stopped and taken a few seconds to take in a big deep breath that I realized I had just shouted at my mother in the face. The look on her face was now changing from initial shock to a growing anger at being shouted at. Now that was most certainly not a good sign, because it could lead to the possibility of having an argument with her, and an argument with her was certainly _not _enjoyable.

Taking another deep breath, I lowered down the tone and volume of my voice to a respectable range and apologised. "I'm sorry, Mom. I just really didn't have the best of mornings, and I'm really having a bad case of the Monday blues. I didn't mean to direct it at you."

Mom was silent at first, and that only added to my worry of everything leading to one big fight. But that worry was slowly starting to disappear when she heaved a sigh and said, "Alright then, Melindia. I'll let you off this time, but just remember that I will most certainly _not_ go easy on you if you were to do it again. I don't like to be shouted at, you know."

Then she turned and made her way out of the room, but not before saying, "Go outside, Melindia. I think some fresh air and sunshine will do you good. But be back in an hour."

Without comment, I just nodded my head and walked out of the room after her, only continuing my way towards the door. I said a quick 'see you later' before leaving, but I was already out of the store before I could catch her response, if she even responded in the first place.

Before I knew it, too engrossed in my state of Monday blues, I was already making my way to the park, all while waiting for a certain best friend of mine to pick up the phone.

XXX

Ten minutes later, Henrietta finally arrived to the bench I was seated at. But she did not come empty-handed. The fact that she was in uniform and the cardboard tray had 'The Vintage Cuppa' logo on it clearly indicated that she was from work.

In the cardboard drink tray, there were two tall cups of mocha java chip Frappuccino that was topped with loads of whipped cream and drizzles of dark chocolate and golden caramel syrup. At the bottom, there were even drizzles of more chocolate and caramel. One cup of that alone was like a sugar rush just waiting to happen. I have always had a sweet tooth, so my mouth watered for the beverage. I was suddenly as thirsty as someone in a dry desert, and something as heavenly sweet as that Frappucino might be enough to send me into heaven.

"Fattening, yes. But we're going to need a whole lot of sweetness to relieve you of your bitterness. Besides, chocolate is the number one comfort food for just about anyone," she said as she took a seat next to me and passed me one of the cups – the one with the most amount of whipped cream. Bless her for that. "I had Jacob do this as a special order. It's a good thing that he can make a damn good cuppa."

I gave her an appreciative one-armed hug, smiling thankfully for her thoughtfulness and kindness of the moment. "Thanks, Henri. I owe you one."

We did not talk for the first few minutes; just staring at whatever was going on around us and drinking our respective Frappuccino. I was guessing that Henrietta was only allowing the silence instead of jumping right into questions to give me a chance to cool myself down and drink my coffee in order to 'sweeten' my 'bitterness'. I did not complain. In fact, I was thankful, because it gave me the chance to enjoy my coffee, which by now I was too engrossed in the exquisite and utterly delicious flavours of the drink; the dark and sinful mocha, chocolate that was a mixture of bitter darkness and sugary milkiness, and caramel that were sweet and nutty and warm.

I reminded myself mentally to allow myself to do whatever Henrietta wanted to do – if she asked me of it – without any complaint. It was the very least I could do for her, for being a great friend.

When my cup was now half-empty, I placed it beside me on the bench and exhaled a sigh loudly. Henrietta took this as an 'all-clear' sign, and finally asked, "Ready to talk about it?"

So without hesitation, I dived into it. I started from the beginning; about how the dinner had initially gone – smooth and enjoyable – to what had happened in the end – plunging and terrible. I left out the part of it taking place in the pomegranate tree, but I emphasised a lot on the point of the wedding rings and the shock I felt and the fact that Aiden had just blatantly admitted to me that he was actually married without even a twinge of guilt or shame.

Henrietta listened quietly and very attentively as I spoke and raged and ranted and despaired. And when I was finally done, taking in a deep inhale of air to replenish myself, she kept quiet and thoughtful for a few seconds, before finally saying, "Wow. That must have been the most horrible date I have ever heard."

"It makes it even worse that it was actually our _first_ date," I grumbled in irritation, and then adding through gritted teeth. "And I am _very _sure that it will be our _last_."

Henrietta sat aside her own drink and then exclaimed in exasperation, "W-T-F! What a complete jerk! You absolutely did _not _deserve that, Mel! And to think that he actually seemed to be a great guy for you! I mean, he looked so bedazzled by you that it almost seemed that Cupid must have shot his heart with an arrow and he fell in love!"

I snorted in disgust, and snapped, "That's just crap nonsense. That player was probably _bedazzled_ by me because of what I was wearing. It was only because I was pleasing to his eye. And a jerk who would dare to even go behind their wife's back doesn't deserve to be in love."

Henrietta pursed her lips, looking deep in thought, before slowly and carefully asking, "Did he kiss you?"

Her sudden, unexpected question made me freeze instantly, and I did not know how to answer that question. At the same time, my neck started to feel tingles all over the skin, most probably the places where Aiden's lips had touched and tasted. I was lucky to have looked into the mirror and saw no sorts of hickeys there to make it obvious, but the memory of it was already enough to make me blush furiously.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'?" she asked hesitantly.

Oh hell, had I really made it that obvious?! "No!" I immediately protested, but then I found myself side-tracking. "I mean, yes! No! Kind of! It was just on the neck! Just on the neck! I swear!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, girl!" Henrietta exclaimed in exasperation, placing her hand on my shoulder and pressing onto it in an effort to soothe me. I obeyed her command and kept still instantly, but I was seriously nowhere near calm as I should be.

Bringing my hands to rub my face in frustration, I groaned out loud, "I should _not _have let him do that. Curse my blasted hormones, and the fact that I was naïve enough to fall for his sweet-talk! Damn me to the depths of Tartarus!"

"Don't say that."

It was _not _Henrietta who had said that. And speaking of Henrietta, I now realize that as she was about to say something, suddenly she just froze and stared with wide eyes at something that was past me, and she muttered, "Well, speak of the Devil."

And it then I noticed a tall shadow that was currently casting over me, blocking out the sunlight that was shining onto me. Instinct told me that it was not just some dense and heavy white cloud, because this shadow looked too clear and opaque and _close_.

When I turned my head around and looked up, my sights immediately came in contact with a pair of dark obsidian eyes, which were already looking back at me so intently.

In that very instant and without a word, I immediately got up from my seat and was about to walk away in the opposite direction, repetitively telling myself in my head to leave now and don't speak any word to him. It was the best idea I could come up with, because the other one was simply to shout at his face and cuss at him.

Unfortunately, I was unable to take another step away when I felt his fingers firmly clamp onto my wrist. But I was even more surprised when I didn't try to put up a fight. I just became still as a statue, with his fingers still gripping my wrist.

"Melindia, please let me explain," Aiden began, his voice clearly indicating the anxiety and uncertainty he felt in himself. "I know you're angry at me, but if you would just let me explain…"

I whipped my head around sharply to look at him hard in the eye, causing him to freeze mid-sentence. His grip on my wrist loosened slightly, but he still stayed where he was.

"What's there to _explain_, Aiden?" I questioned him in a seethe of breath. "You're married and you lied to me about that one little fact about yourself. That's all there is. Anyone like me would get angry too if they found out that the person they thought had liked them had actually been using them for a bit of 'fun' behind their wife's back."

Hearing my response, he replied immediately in defence, "No! That's not all! And it's not what you think it is! I'm not married to another woman!"

"Then who are you married to?!" I questioned in a snort, scoffing at the how illogical and stupid his answer was.

"YOU!"

With that one word, I froze instantly and look at him in disbelief. For one moment, I had a feeling that Aiden was lying and only just saying that to make fun of me, which only made my blood boil even more. However, that assumption was quashed when I looked right at his dark eyes and saw no traces of lies or humour in them. They were hard with seriousness.

At that exact moment, I heard Henrietta snort in disbelief, and it was then I realized that there were some other people who were standing nearby and looking at the two of us. Probably passer-bys who noticed our heated conversation and thought that it was worthy entertainment to watch.

For a short second, I had a brief moment of embarrassment and shame for drawing such unwanted attentions. But that was immediately forgotten when Aiden had suddenly gripped my shoulders. I had no idea what was going on, but my shock – and anger – grew tenfold when he drew me closer to him.

With his face advancing closer to mine, his lips aimed to where it would meet mine, he murmured, "I want you to remember…"

But before another inch could be closed in the space between us, my hand reacted immediately, and the palm suddenly came in contact with the side of his face with a loud _SMACK!_

As my hand started to throb from the sudden forceful impact (_damn, his cheekbones were hard!_), Aiden released his hold on me and recoiled back, his hand cupping the part of his face where I had slapped him hard. His eyes were widened with shock and disbelief, before he winced in pain from the sudden blooming redness of his beaten cheek.

As he stared at me, I – without much of a damn about who was watching and whether or not they could hear me – glared at him and spat with so much venom in myself, "Not only are you crazy to think that I'm married to you, but you dare have the guts to touch me after what you lied to me about."

Taking a daring step forward, I hissed threateningly, "Stay away from me, Aiden Pater. I don't need a piece of crap like _you_ in my life."

But as if that was not enough, I suddenly grabbed my cup of half-drunk coffee off the bench, tore the lid off, and splashed it all over his front. His shock and disbelief only increased when he sudden found himself – with his face, shirt and the crotch area and some parts of his jeans – drenched in cold java chip Frappuccino with melted whipped cream and lines of chocolate and caramel.

Putting the cup back down on the bench, right next to a shocked Henrietta who was looking at Aiden with wide eyes and an agape mouth, I told him with a smirk, "This is just in case you didn't get the message."

And without another word, I turned around and walked away, leaving Aiden to be embarrassed by the on-looking crowd, just as I thought to myself in dismay about this was officially the worst Monday in my life.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

MELINDIA! CALM DOWN! I GET THAT YOU'RE ANGRY, BUT DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO THAT TO POOR AIDEN?! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYTHING!

Anyway, guys, I just want to thank _**kat2764**_for her review on the last chapter. And this is where I ask you all to do something; go listen to _Oh, Calamity! _by All Time Low. I swear to the high heavens that the song might exactly be about Aiden's POV in this fanfiction. Really, go and listen to it NOW. I'm hooked. That could be the theme song for _Divine Reborn. _Once again, thank you _**kat2764**_! GO LISTEN TO IT.

Now if you will excuse me, I will be off to VIOLENTLY fangirl, because I just got back from watching Thor: The Dark World. (DAMN IT, TOM HIDDLESTON. YOU MIGHT BE THE DEATH OF ME.)

Please do review! Helps me a lot! And see you on Friday!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	12. Chapter 11

_**The 'Old Friend'**_

My eyes watched the beads of raindrops slowly slide down the foggy glass of the window beside the counter, whereas my mind was continuously replaying the scene at the park from yesterday like a broken record player; constantly repeating with no signs of stopping on its own. I internally watched it all, reliving every single thing that had happened. But most of all, I perfectly remembered the look of shock and disbelief on Aiden's face when I had slapped him hard in the face.

Those wide, disbelieving, obsidian eyes that held just a hint of the expression of pain seemed to be the one that was replaying the most in my mind, and I knew very well that it might be permanently imprinted into the depths of my psyche.

When the mental image got a bit too much for me to handle, I finally looked away from the window and at the interior of the shop. I was alone at the moment, because Mom had to go off to run an errand at the elementary school regarding flower arrangements. Thus, I was left solely in charge of the place until she gets back.

Business had been doing fine since the start of the day, with me being able to get a sale of some bouquets, flower wreaths and individual flower stalks. But most unfortunately, due to the sudden rain that had not been predicted in the weather forecast at all last night, the smooth flow of customers were abruptly cut, and now I stay here sitting at the counter with a shop full of flowers, waiting for the rain to lighten up and hope to hope that there will be some customers once the sun shone again.

But while I waited, I had to find something to do to keep me from getting _bored_.

As my eyes scanned the room, paying no mind to the abundance of flowers that filled the shop, I caught sight of the tabloid newspaper lying on a counter nearby.

With a shrug to myself, I just picked it up and began flipping through the pages. Usually, I wouldn't have been so interested with reading any form of the news, but I guess that this was a time for me to be updated now. World War Three might have broken out and I still wouldn't know.

When I flipped open the paper, a big bolded headline was what caught my eye first.

_**PAGANS PREACH UPCOMING APOCOLYPSE! IS THE END OF THE WORLD NIGH?**_

I rolled my eyes when I read it, and thought how stupid it was that there was another 'End of the World' fiasco. I have lived through so many news of the end of days, but it has never once happened. Even when some so-called 'signs' occur, like an earthquake or a hurricane or something, nothing absolutely deadly would happen in the days – and weeks – to come. Furthermore, sometimes these pagans really come up with the most craziest of things. I was not religious – I do not really consider myself an atheist, but I still wasn't practising any sort of religion – nor do I partake in pagan acts, and the prospect of _anything _preaching the end of the world struck me as ridiculous.

In my opinion, if the end of the world _does _happen, I let it happen. I knew that I was no powerful force to stop it, nor could I escape it. So I would just go with the flow and accept whatever comes.

But still, to believe that just a group of people would actually proclaim that the end of the world was upon us now was still ridiculous.

"As if," I snorted to myself. Without a second glance to that article, I proceeded to flip on to the next page.

A maximised picture of a couple in front of a dull white background was what was on the next page, with a headline printed above their heads, saying _**POWER COUPLE OF THE YEAR**_.

There was a man, dressed in a sharp and smart navy blue business suit, looking to be about middle-aged, with silvery-blonde hair that was gelled and groomed back, and eyes that were the colour of a grey sky after a thunderstorm. His entire front was facing the camera directly, with his arms folded and his thin lips pulled into a big and confident smile; a way to reflect the confident person he was portraying himself to be. But despite his smart and business-centric appearance, he looked tall and bulky enough to be some sort of weightlifter; his firm biceps that were covered with the fitting fabric of his suit was one way to know that.

Beside him was a woman, who immediately gave me the impression that she was a proud and vain person. She looked beautiful enough to be a model, despite the fact that she looked to be in her early thirties. Her hair was dark shade of reddish-mahogany, styled into an elegant French twist. Her eyes – emphasised by smoky eye-shadow on her lids, black eyeliner, and lashes which were coated in mascara to make them look longer and thicker – were nearly amber like mine, except hers looked more like ripe golden honey. Dressed in a purple chiffon blouse and a black high-waist pencil skirt with a pair of black stilettos, not only did she look rich, she looked absolutely professional.

I would recognise this particular couple anywhere. Their faces would be all over television channels – the news, the business chat shows and _even_ celebrity news – and printed all over newspapers and magazines, and their names would be all over the radio and internet.

Why were they so famous?

That was because they were Jove and June Suez, the owners of Suez Holdings, the biggest investment holding company around today, and also two very well-known socialites.

However, they were more famous for their turbulent marriage – for Jove's constant scandals of having affairs with numerous women and - rumour has it - men, and for June's amazing but baffling persistence to stay married to a man who was _not _an ideal husband.

I always thought of them as an odd couple. However, there was always something else about these two that always struck a strange feeling in me, but I didn't know…

"A charming couple, aren't they?"

I jumped in my seat when I heard that voice, because there was nobody else in the shop except me. I didn't hear the bell above the door jingle, which meant that nobody had come into the shop when I was reading the paper.

So who was talking?

Looking up, I finally found out who it was.

Standing in front of me, on the other side of the counter, was a man.

The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes. His eyes were a green that seemed so akin to the colour of the sea, and I could almost imagine his pair of eyes as two orbs of green sea water. The brightness of his eyes contrasted with the darkness of his brown hair, which was groomed back and touched the nape of his neck.

The next thing I noticed about him was the fact that he was so utterly handsome, despite looking to be in his mid- or late-thirties or very early-forties. It was the type of 'handsome' that could easily knock the breath out of you and make you so speechless and unable to do anything else but stare and gawk. With a pencil moustache and a scruffy beard, it only helped to make him look more rugged in addition to his Hollywood looks. I bet if Henrietta were here right now, she would have fainted.

However, there was something else about him that was making him stare and gawk, and imagine my surprise when it was the exact same emotion that I have always felt with Aiden. The feeling was fainter as compared to when I was with Aiden, but it was still undeniably the same feeling.

_Oh no… What is this?! _I thought to myself in dismay and utmost confusion. _That feeling… He seems so familiar… I feel like I know him… But I don't!... I don't know him…_

I hadn't realized that all had been silent between me and the stranger until he raised an eyebrow and looked at me expectantly. I shook myself out of my daze and cleared my throat, saying apologetically, "I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you come in. I must have been too distracted in reading."

What I was telling him was a half-truth. It was a lie when I said I was distracted, because I hadn't really been that too engrossed in reading the paper. But I was telling the truth when I said I didn't hear him come in. A quick glance to a completely still bell above the door indicated that it hadn't been moved as of recent, meaning that nobody had walked through the door.

So how did this man managed to get in so quietly and without my notice?

As I was pondering on that thought, I said to him in my best welcoming voice, "So, welcome to Earthly Spring. How may I help you today, sir?"

But instead of simply replying, the man stuck out his hand and greeted warmly, "The name's Seamus Trent, CEO of Trent Marine Life Corporations. It's my duty that our Earth's oceans stay safe and protected."

With carefulness, I gripped his hand, slightly taken aback by how silky smooth it felt, and smiled civilly and greeted back, "My name is Melindia Hagne."

When we both released our hold, I asked again, "So how can I help you today, Mr Trent? Any floral arrangements for an event?"

Chuckling, Seamus replied, "Oh, please. Just call me Seamus. Besides, I am an old friend of yours and your mother."

What he had just said was enough to make me freeze and stare at him in confusion. Internally, the hunching feeling of familiarity with him started to act up even more, and it started niggling me to presume that maybe he somehow knew.

"An old friend?"

Seamus nodded his head in agreement, to which I replied in disagreement, "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I even know you. In fact, I also don't seem to recall ever meeting you. You must be an old friend of my mother. If you're looking for her, she's not in at the moment."

Seamus nodded his head again, this time in understanding. "I see," he said, his tone calculative and thoughtful. "But I'm not really here to meet her. I'm here to meet you. It certainly has been a long time."

Subconsciously, I took a step back, my eyes never leaving the sea green ones of the stranger in front of me. While I continued to stare at him in uncomfortable and suspicious silence, the familiarity of his face and voice started to sink into me once again. It nearly engulfed me, almost sending me into another chain of confused migraines.

"Look. Whoever you are, you must really be mistaken," I told him in a fake apologetic tone in the nicest way possible. "I am pretty sure that I don't even know who on Earth you are. I am also very sure that I have never seen you before in my life. I don't think I remember anyone knowing anyone named 'Seamus Trent'. I'm very sorry, but you have got the wrong person."

Only at this point did he frown, looking at me hard in the eye in a calculative yet uncertain manner. Folding his arms and seemingly studying me, he commented in a deep murmur, "She really got you good, didn't she? You don't even have the slightest clue who I am."

And at this point was when I really started to get a little pissed. I was now near the breaking point of my annoyance and with this guy who was still irking me with each passing second.

"Well, what I do know now about you is that you're just some weirdo who just claims to know me," I snapped at him, unable to control my growing irritation with him.

He did not react to my sudden show of anger, instead bringing his hand to rub his bearded jaw in contemplation and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh, but I _do _know you, _Melindia_," he proclaimed, also saying my name in a chuckle or a sneer as though it was some sort of stupid joke. However, he then added, "Your name says it all; who you truly are. But it's sad to know what she had done to you to have made you forget all about it."

"Listen. I have already had enough of this," I growled at him firmly, feeling the burn of rage building its way up my neck, almost suffocating me. "Don't pretend that you know me much more than I know myself. You're just some insane lunatic. I don't know what the _hell _you're talking about. I don't know the 'she' you're referring to, and I don't know what 'she' had done to me. But what I do know is that you had better get out of my shop right now, or I'll call the police."

His expression changed into one of amusement, and he pressed me by saying, "Oh, really?"

The fire of anger within me blazed and flared, and there could be some possibly chance of my whole face being red with rage as a clear indication of it. I could feel the fumes of my rage polluting the air around me, and maybe even coating the air of the entire flower shop. Seamus Trent certainly felt it, seeing as how he took a step back from me and his smug expression turned into one of worry and uncertainty.

How dare he have the audacity to think that he can just make me angry and still have the nerve to taunt me on my threat? This absolute jerk who now looked at me as though he was 'Mr High and Mighty'. This weirdo who can dare try to harass me by claiming to know who I 'really' was over and over. This douche really needed a lesson in respect, and I was sure as hell going to give it to him.

Slamming my hands on the flat countertop with a hard _thud_, I leaned forward slightly, glaring at him hard in the eye, and growled lowly, "So, if you don't leave _right now_, I swear to you that I will-"

The sudden clear sound of a nearby flower vase breaking and shattering into pieces made my head turn and look at it in confusion. When I did, I watched as the cracked bits of the dusk blue porcelain fell to the floor like rain, along with the stalks of calla lilies that it had been holding. Soon, the floor nearby the table it had been on was littered with little bits and pieces of porcelain shards which posed a threat to bare feet.

I looked at the broken flower vase on the floor with shock and disbelief. I wondered if I had unknowingly punched it, but then I realized that it was a stupid because I had not moved from my position behind the counter at all and the vase had been standing on a table that was totally way out of arms-length reach for me. Then I wondered if I had unknowingly thrown something at it in my rage with him, but then I realized that both my hands were still planted on the countertop, now slightly limp as I released some of the tension within me. Finally, I wondered if Seamus Trent had done something to it, but then I also realized that he had not even moved from his position at the other side of the counter.

So how exactly did that vase break?

I was still staring at the broken shards in shock when I heard Seamus say after a low whistle of surprise, "Well, that settles it then. I'll leave now, since that is what you want. But I do hope to see you again soon, Melindia. Goodbye, for now."

I did not make any angry remark to what he had last said, nor did I glare at him as he left. When he had exited the shop and the bell had stopped ringing a while after the door had shut in his wake, I was still looking at the shards of glass, confused and wondering how what had happened to it had happened.

* * *

Sitting in the driver's seat of his conspicuous grey Audi R8, which was attracting a lot of admiring and envious eyes, he continued to watch her through the window of the flower shop.

_What a name… _he thought to himself with a chuckle. _'Earthly Spring'… Suits the both of them._

He watched as the young woman, with long brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and bright amber eyes, finally moved to get a broom and a dustpan from somewhere and sweep up the broken vase on the floor. He knew that she was still probably wondering about how the vase had broken by itself. He also wondered if she had come up with theories like ghosts and poltergeists, which were always the most famous explanations for unexplainable happenings such as the vase falling onto the ground and breaking by itself.

But he knew very well how it had happened.

If he could, he would explain to her how she had done it, and maybe even try to convince her that he was not a maniac who just claimed that he knew and her mother. Maybe, hope to hope, she might be able to gain a hint of the past to help her remember what was lost. Maybe, everything would finally change for the better now that everything seemed to have taken one step ahead.

But _she_ had done some pretty serious damage to her head, and all hopes of anything improving at this point of time were too difficult.

Just then, the cell phone in his trouser pocket began to ring and vibrate, disturbing the concentrative silence that had been within his car interiors. Heaving a heavy sigh at the sudden intrusion in his spying, he quickly pulled it out and tore his sights away from the girl to the screen on his phone.

The name of the caller ID flashing on his screen was who he was just about to call.

"Hello?" he answered it on the fifth ring.

"Did you find him?" Jove Suez – as he was more well-known as, for his true name must be kept a secret from everyone except the _others_ like him – replied on the other end of the line with a questioning,

Seamus' mind suddenly made him remember his true purpose of being here in Heatherton; to supposedly act as some kind of bounty hunter, searching for the man who has been missing from them for the past eight months. He had been given this 'mission' of finding him, and bringing him back to stay within the circle of his true kind. He had left unexpectedly and without a trace, off for the umpteenth time to go off to find the woman whose identity was now a florist in that particular flower shop.

The man that Seamus was searching for was now named 'Aiden Pater', and he had not found him yet.

"No," he admitted truthfully, causing Jove to let out a heavy and frustrated sigh.

And that was when Jove started to descend into complaints. "I'm reaching my edge here. He hasn't made any contact with us for the past several months, and I'm not the only one who's concerned for his well-being. We don't know where he's been or what he's been doing. If we don't find him anytime soon…"

"Listen, I may have something else to tell you that's definitely far more interesting."

"And what's that?"

And so Seamus explained everything.

When a few minutes had passed and he had done telling him of his encounter with 'Melindia', Jove was silent at first. But even through the silence and the true long distance between their call, Seamus could feel him taken aback, and then entering into a deep and concentrative contemplation. This was big news that needed time to be thought over and over, so Seamus gave him the benefit of the doubt and kept silent to allow him to contemplate peacefully.

"Are you sure?" Jove finally asked, his tone of voice just slightly above a murmur.

"Yes. It's definitely her," Seamus agreed, and then added, "And I can sure bet with you that if she is here, he won't be too far. We've been getting traces of his aura here, so it's most likely that he's still in town."

More silence ensued then, but it was much shorter than the previous one when Jove finally replied after possibly another contemplation.

"I'll send the rest."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

OOOHH... Who could this 'Seamus Trent' be? And what exactly had happened to Melindia?

Just a mention; Seamus did say that Melindia's name 'says it all'. This would be explained in the future. But what I can tell you now is; Melindia wasn't named 'Melindia' for nothing.

Ooohh... I can't wait for the next chapter!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	13. Chapter 12

_**The Party**_

"_Melindia… Melindia…"_

"Where are you, Aiden?" I asked to the darkness, twisting and turning as I tried – in what may be a futile attempt – to determine Aiden's whereabouts in the void. But as always, my eyes saw nothing but the ever-infinite darkness.

"_Don't leave me, Melindia," _his voice continued to say in plead, sounding so very pained and full of angst. _"Please don't leave me anymore… It hurts me to be apart from you… I don't want to be apart from you any longer… No more… No more…"_

"Tell me where you are, and I'll come to you," I replied back in reassurance, still twisting and turning on the spot I stood on to try once again to locate where he could be, despite it being what might be the umpteenth futile attempt. But despite how many failures I have had in finding him, I did not really know why I still tried over and over again, as if I was expecting like some sort of change that was almost improbable to happen.

"I can never find you in this darkness, Aiden," I told him through the air, my voice soft and gentle in order to sound soothing to the pain he must be feeling right now. "Help me find you. Lead me to you."

His voice started the very second mine ended, saying to me, _"But you have already found me, Melindia… You have already found me…"_

And that's when the confusion again suddenly struck me like lightning, sending all the nerves in my body to a frazzled end. All the current thoughts in my head went haywire, and so many questions were asked in my mind.

In a sudden bout of frustration, I questioned to the dark air, "What does that mean, Aiden? What do you mean by that? I 'already found you'? I never found you! So why do you keep saying that over and over again to me? Is it something that I should know, but I don't? Please tell me! Help me understand!"

Following my exasperated question, there was a silence that hung in the air. With no word from Aiden at all, I began to feel the worry and fear start to sink into me. This time, it was not because I was afraid of the empty and infinite darkness. This time, it was because I was afraid that I may have lost Aiden, and would never be able to truly find him in this empty and infinite darkness.

But luckily, I could hear his voice again soon after. However, this time it came to my ears as a string of murmurs and mutters. It seemed to echo loudly all around me, making it even more for me to truly determine where he was. In an attempt to focus all my attentions to find his location, I slid my eyes shut, only concentrating on a definite sound of his echoing voices.

The very second my eyes slid shut, it was then only one of Aiden's voices spoke clearly.

"_Soon…"_

And when I opened my eyes, hoping to finally be able to find him or, better yet, see him, I was only met with the familiar sight of my bedroom ceiling.

XXX

"This is still strange, Melindia," Henrietta said with uncertainty on the other end of the line. "It isn't like you to just call me and say that you want to go with me to a party. In fact, you've never done it for as long as I've known you."

Huffing in annoyance and frustration, I replied without hesitation, "There's always a first time for everything. Besides, remember when you promised me that you'll agree to do anything I want to do? Well, I want to go to a party, and who else do I know that can get invites to parties except you?"

"Yes, I do remember what I promise you, and as your best friend, I keep my promises. But it's still strange to hear you suddenly call me at three in the afternoon on a Saturday and ask if you could follow me to a party. How did you find out that there was a party on the outskirts of town anyway?"

"Your Twitter says it all," I answered with a roll of my eyes.

"Ah, yes. Well…" She then seemed at a loss for words, and I sighed in relief at the thought that I had finally gotten her at the losing end of the argument. However, she then asked, "What about your mom? Won't she put up some fuss about you going to a party? I'll be damned if you were to tell me she had actually said 'yes'."

I kept quiet for a few seconds to hear if Mom was anywhere in the hallway outside my shut bedroom door. When I heard the sound of the kettle whistling from the kitchen, it gave me the indication that she was there, so it gave me a 'clear'.

"I didn't actually tell her that I was going to a party with you," I admitted to her truthfully. "I made up a little white lie, saying that your parents were out of town again and that you asked me to sleep over for the night."

Henrietta then replied with a sigh, "Well, it's only partially a lie, considering the fact that my parents _are _out of town again. They're over in Vancouver now, for just another fancy art show. Probably won't be back until next week."

Hearing the annoyance, frustration and sadness held in her voice made me pity my friend very much. She was often left by herself at home in Heatherton because her parents were art dealers who travelled all around the world, and they just did not bear a thought to even bring her along. They could be gone for weeks on end and be at home for only days at a time. And although their field of profession certainly brought back a lot of cash back home to give their only daughter anything she wanted, it only left Henrietta even more lonely than she already was. Maybe that was the reason for her constant need to go to parties often or date a string of guys at the same time.

Now, I felt bad about lying to Mom, who would never have a thought to leave me alone for so long. However, what's already done has been done, and I was going to that party tonight without her knowledge.

Feeling that the silence had been far too long for her liking, Henrietta finally said, "Anyway, I'll be in front of your house in five minutes tops. Hope you're dressed for the occasion, 'cause we are definitely going to somewhere wild."

When we both hung up on the same time, I plopped my head against the tall backrest of my plush armchair and exhaled a heaving sigh of frustration. I thought to myself, _Henrietta's right. It's so unlike you to want to suddenly want to go to a party. Why would you suddenly want to, Melindia?_

Maybe it was the fact that I desperately needed some form of distraction from the memory of the dream of the null void and Aiden's voice.

Now that I think about it again, I could feel my annoyance return to me. Until now, I was still having strange dreams about that eternally dark and never-ending abyss, and in each and every dream I had of it, I would always hear Aiden's voice, but never actually see him or find him no matter how hard I tried. It was always me, stuck in the darkness, listening to Aiden's voice as far-away echoes of murmurs and mutters, always hearing him but never seeing him.

But what was most irritating was the fact that every single time I hear him, I would _actually _try to find him. If I remembered correctly, I hated Aiden with every single fibre of my body, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. But still I would try to find him and be so kind to him in the void, especially when he started to plead yearningly to not forget and leave him.

And on that particular topic; what on Earth does it mean?! Every single time Aiden would speak in the void, he would always, always, _always _tell me about how much it had hurt for him to be apart from me, and about how he had finally found me but I had yet to find him. And whenever I questioned him on that matter, asking him about what he meant by what he had said, he would never truly give me an answer, as evidenced at how the reply to my question in the latest dream was just a 'Soon'.

That only made me even more frustrated than dreaming about him, because I knew it had something to do with the hunch of familiarity I always felt with him around, but there was absolutely no way I was going to find out about it.

_What are you hiding from me, Aiden Pater? _I wondered to myself with a grumble. _What is it that you know that I don't?_

Suddenly, the beeping of a car in front of my house was what made me get up from my seat and take a quick look at myself at the mirror, checking to make sure the outfit I had donned was alright. I had settled for a simple loose cold-shoulder top, denim mini-skirt and strappy sandals. And since Henrietta had said that it was going to be a 'wild' party, I decided to let my hair loose and keep the make-up to a minimum (although I rarely ever used that much make-up).

When I had already left the room and reached the foyer, Mom appeared from the kitchen, wiping her recently-washed hands on the apron that she was wearing. When she was there, I immediately felt a kick of guilt in my gut; both for lying to her about where I was truly going and also for not telling her about my encounter with Seamus Trent on Tuesday in the flower shop.

I knew that it was definitely a must to tell her, but I felt the need to keep it to myself. My encounter with him had not been pleasant and it had even sent me past my boiling point, but it was the hunch of some form of familiarity and strangeness with him. It continued to nag at me; the thought that I do know him, but I was just unsure from where and when and how. It may seem ridiculous, considering how I had blasted at him for declaring that he did know me, but maybe it was true.

However, it was the unexplainable incident with the flower vase was still a constant mystery to me. I constantly replayed that memory in my head, mentally seeing how it cracked and broke before my very eyes, with neither me nor Seamus anywhere near it to have done something to it. But the more I had pondered over it, I had finally come to the stupid, eccentric and impossible conclusion that maybe… it _had _been done by some sort of poltergeist.

But now, I just kept quiet, and kept my guilt hidden deep within me.

"Leaving already?" Mom questioned, taking a good look at my outfit. "And without an overnight bag?"

Shoot! I forgot all about that 'sleep-over' story that I had given her!

"Uh…" I hesitated for a short while, but I stopped immediately before Mom could get any more suspicious. But luckily, an idea had come into mind, and I quickly told her, "Henrietta's taking me out for a movie and some dinner first. I'd probably be back to collect some stuff, or I could use some of hers. I'm sure Henrietta's got a spare unused toothbrush and some PJs I could borrow."

Mom pursed her lips and looked at me right in the eye, and it took every single ounce of willpower within me to not squirm and confess to what I had done, and just to stay blank and nonchalant. But thank goodness, she finally blinked and said, "Well, then. You girls have fun, and stay out of trouble, Melindia."

"Of course, Mom," I reassured her and gave her a peck on her cheek for good measure. I bade goodbye and walked through the door, and heaved a heavy sigh of relief when I closed it shut in my wake.

On the road of the cul-de-sac right in front of my house, a white Volvo S60 was waiting for me. When I got in, the first thing I saw was Henrietta in the driver's seat, all decked out in a dark purple crop top, cut-off jean shorts and knee-high gladiator heels. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, her faint blue streaks standing out of her mousy blonde, and her blue-grey eyes seemed bigger with the smoky make-up she had done around her pair.

"You look awesome," I complimented when I had got into the car, seated in the front passenger seat. Henrietta smiled proudly, and replied, "Thanks, Mel. You don't look too bad yourself. The perks of being born gorgeous, I guess."

When she drove out of the cul-de-sac, she asked me again in hesitance, "Are you sure you want to do this, Melindia? This party may or may not be too your liking, you know."

With a sigh, I replied without hesitance, "I want to do this. I need to have some fun."

XXX

By the time we arrived at the suburban house that stood near the outskirts of Heatherton, the party was fully raving, with sounds of people screaming in enjoyment and a dubstep remix playing on full blast. As I got out of the car and then followed alongside Henrietta into the house, I wondered how the neighbours managed to stand it, or why the police hadn't been called yet.

The house was really packed with people all around, and there were drinks and dancing and kissing all over. In the air, I could inhale the odour of cigarette smoke, hot sweat and a cocktail of different sorts of colognes and perfumes, which only ended up smelling like a cross between sickly sweet and musty that it made me gag.

"Hey. I see some people from work there," Henrietta informed me as she pointed to a group of guys and girls who were drinking at the other end of the room. Looking to me with a reassuring smile, she told me, "I'll be quick, okay? I'll just chat up with them a bit and I'll find you at the drinks table."

A part of me wanted to protest for it feared the thought of being alone in this madhouse with no one else I knew and who-knew-what might happen. Henrietta was my lifebuoy in this sea of crazy. However, I didn't have the heart to keep her from wanting to be with her other friends and be stuck with me, a party newbie. She had come here for fun, so it didn't seem fair to her at all if I were to ask her to stick with me.

So it was the latter part of me that made me nod in agreement and leave to the drinks table that she had been talking about. Unfortunately, it was located in the middle room, where a huge crowd was dancing to the crazy dubstep beat of Skrillex. I was forced to be pressed up against the wall, watching and looking as awkward as ever.

Seconds turned to minutes, and Henrietta had yet to be appearing to me again. With nothing else to do, I just grabbed an unopened can of Cherry Coke and did nothing but juggle it between my hands. One look at the bowl of fruit punch was already enough to tell me that it was spiked – I may not go to a lot of these sorts of parties, but I was definitely not stupid as to not know what went on in it.

Ugh… maybe this was a bad idea to have come here anyway. I was being a total wallflower again, and I was not enjoying myself one bit. I guess it was lucky that Henrietta left as soon as she could; I bet it would have been suffocating for her to stick with a sap like me. But what's done was done, and I was going to have to wait until we could finally leave.

Suddenly, the dancing crowd hooted and cheered aloud, making me look up from my boring juggling.

The mass of grinding bodies had all moved to the sides of the room, leaving a small circular space right in the middle. And in that space, someone was dancing with great energy and enthusiasm that seemed to heighten the hyperactivity of the crowd.

But when I laid my sights on that one dancer, I froze, and suddenly everything in my mind started to blank out of everything else except new thoughts.

There was something about him – something so very achingly strange – that made him stand out from the rest.

Firstly, it was the way he moved. It was so very different than any of the other dancers around him. While their form of dancing was just swaying to the beat and grinding against anyone near them, his was so very graceful and elegant, despite the fact that he was dancing just as rambunctiously as the others around him, possibly even more. The way he kicked his legs and jerked his hips and swayed his hands above his head didn't make him look like he was dancing in a crazy party. No, it went much more than that.

It looked like he was dancing in a frenzy.

And the way he looked, with a rugged, long face, angular cheekbones, masculine nose and lips, with waves of chestnut brown hair that fell to his shoulders and a pair of hazel brown eyes, I could imagine him looking high on the ecstasy of a frenzy that would rush through his veins in his blood, all dressed in leopard skins and adorning a wreath of grapevine leaves atop his head of dark hair, dancing to his heart's content in delirium to the ecstasy.

All of a sudden, I shook myself out of my disturbing thoughts, and wondered to myself, _Him… I've seen him before…_

It was ridiculous, because I swore truthfully that I have never once seen this guy in my entire life. But the hunch that was now seemingly beginning to plague me began to act again, nagging at me over and over – like how it would have done with Aiden and Seamus – that he was someone I knew, from a very, very long time ago.

However, I was suddenly broken out of my thoughts, and that's because I realized that I had been staring at that guy for too long…

…And he was staring back at me.

I should have been embarrassed that I was caught staring at a total stranger and should just look away and shrink in shame. However, I found that I could not do that, because his sights on mine only increased the sense of familiarity within me, and I could not help but stare back and attempt to concentrate on that hunch, to see if, in some way, I might know. It felt almost awkward to maintain such intense eye contact with a stranger, but maybe in some way, he was not really a stranger at all.

I watched as the guy pushed aside the people around him and started making his way to me. The way he walked with intense focus towards where I was just as elegant and graceful as his dancing, despite the fact that it was just the mundane act of walking. The closer he got, the more I could get a clear look at his eyes, and I was completely taken aback to see that it was ridden with shock, disbelief, uncertainty and… relief.

When he finally approached me, he exclaimed a name towards me, looking at me to make me be sure that it was me he had called.

But what he said was _not _my name.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Oooohhh... Melindia still seems to be having disturbing dreams of Aiden Pater. But now, who is this third mysterious man that Melindia has strange feelings about? And what is it about him that makes Melindia wonder where she had ever seen him before, despite never meeting him in her entire life?

Tune in for the next chapter on Friday to find out!

Please do review! Really helps me out a lot to know about your opinions!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	14. Chapter 13

_**The Mystery Arises**_

"Persephone!"

Taking a step back, pressing myself even more up against the wall, I stared at the stranger with a slight bit of fright that was building up within me. "I'm sorry… What?" I asked, both disbelieving of the name he had just said and confused as to why he would call me that particular name.

He did not answer. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to his chest, trapping me in a big bear hug. The minute my entire front was pressed against his, with the can of Cherry Coke that was still cradled in my hands being stuck tightly between us, I was immediately overwhelmed with both shock and confusion and discomfort; all of it because a complete stranger was actually hugging me so tightly and affectionately.

"Damn…" I heard him whisper, as he chuckled in relief? "I thought we would never find you… I can't believe that you're actually here, in the flesh! It's been too long! Too long you've been gone…"

Feeling the shock, confusion and discomfort rise up within me several notches, I wriggled my hands out of the straitjacket that was the stranger's arms and planted my hands – well, only one hand, since the other was still holding onto the soda can – flat on his chest to give him a firm push that was enough to push him back a step and regain my personal space which had been invaded by him.

Brushing off any invisible traces of him on my clothes, I looked at him right in the eye and said in the best apologetic tone of voice, "Look, I don't know if you're really drunk or just really confused, but my name is definitely _not _Persephone."

The curiosity as to why he would call me the name of my most favourite Greek Goddess of Spring. Any other strange or mediocre name would have immediately given me the assumption that he was drunk and just mistook me for some other girl. But a drunken person would not have been able to say a name like 'Persephone' so articulately. Heck, considering the fact that not many people know or are interested in Greek mythology in general – trust me; I have met a lot of people who really do not know – they wouldn't even know how to pronounce 'Persephone'; it's always 'Percy-phone' instead of 'Pur-sef-fon-ni'.

But most importantly, why of all names did this one particular guy call me that? I wouldn't even call it coincidence or just some honest mistake, since it was clear that he was not as drunk as the others at this wild part and he said it so passively as though it was my actual name and I was indeed a friend he had not seen in a long time.

The guy looked back at me with what could be the same type of confusion I felt, complete with widened eyes and raised eyebrows and an agape mouth. He looked at me in a way that made me presume that he was probably thinking about what's wrong with me, even though _he_ was what's wrong with me.

"Persephone… It's me..."

"And _who _are you?"

Taking a step closer, which prompted me to press myself back against the wall once again, he replied gently and slowly, "It's me… It's Dion…"

Clutching the can of Cherry Coke to my chest as though to hold it like some sort of protective shield, I questioned more intently, "Who?" I did not recognise his name even the slightest bit, also not having heard of it before, so it gave me the even more concreted confirmation that I most certainly have never met this man before.

Taking another careful step closer, the stranger shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled as he told me, "It's me… Dionysus."

Hearing the stranger call himself the name of the Greek God of Wine sent me into an even further state of confusion as to why he would call both me and himself such strange, unusual and particular names. And the fact that both of those strange, unusual and particular names happened to be the names of two Greek deities only further enhanced that state of confusion.

"Okay… Okay, I get that you're feeling like the God of Festivities… But you're not really Dionysus."

"Yes, I am!" he exclaimed, really exasperated now. "I am the one and only Dionysus! Of Bacchic frenzies! The Liberator! The One who brings ecstasy in the form of wine! And I'm your friend and your half-brother! Why don't you remember me, Persephone?!"

The fear in me rose up several notches, evidenced in the way I really pressed myself up against the wall, as though hoping to back away even more from the stranger, and how my hands tightened its grasps on the soda can. "I'm telling you…" I said slowly, feeling my defensive walls break down bit by bit with each passing second, "I _don't _know who you are for me to remember… And I'm _not _Persephone."

"Yes, you are!" the stranger – who apparently refers to himself as Dion, or Dionysus – shouted in frustration, at the same time stepping forward and grabbing my upper arms. As I gasped in shock and fear at his sudden hold, he began to shake me lightly. "What did _she_ do to you to make you forget who I am?! What did _she _do?! What did _she _do to make you forget completely who you _really _are?!"

Overwhelmed by fear, I did not hesitate and screamed at the top of my voice, "**I'M NOT PERSEPHONE!**"

At the same time, the soda can in my hands suddenly exploded, causing a geyser of cherry-flavoured cola to spray onto him. The sudden gush of sticky soda was what caused Dion to yell out in shock and let go of me, taking a step back to brush the cola off of him. His abrupt reaction was what made me tightened my grip on the can slightly. However, that _slightly _had been enough to actually completely crush the metal.

Now, I stared at the opened and emptied and crushed can in utmost confusion, wondering how the _hell _it managed to spurt soda out on its own, and how the _hell _I had actually managed to completely crush it in just a slightly tightened grip.

Suddenly, I was suddenly thinking about what happened last Tuesday, between me and Seamus Trent in the flower shop. What happened with the flower vase, falling to the floor and breaking by itself… That had happened when I was in the heat of anger with the stranger… And now, while I was feeling utmost fear with this other stranger, the can exploded by itself… Also adding to the fact that I had managed to singlehandedly and complete squeeze a soda can into a thin hunk of metal with just one hand…

Could I really have been the cause of it?

Suddenly, a pair of strong and big hands grabbed my shoulders gently, but the sudden feeling of them there was enough to make me jump in fright, still haven't gotten over what had happened with the soda can. Looking up, I immediately met the hazel eyes of Dion, and I swear that I was probably looking at him in a way that seemed akin to a prey trapped by its predator and realizing that it had nowhere else to run.

"It's okay…" he whispered to me in gentle reassurance, before once again calling me, "Persephone…"

Feeling my utmost frustration and confusion as to why he would call me that name rose up and started to overwhelm me, and I could feel strained just by having him stand so close to me. Without really thinking, I planted my hands flat on his chest and gave him a slight push away from me, unable to tolerate his presence in front of me.

But like my 'slightly' tightened grip on the soda can, my 'slight' push had been enough to actually throw the guy all the way to the other side of the room.

Dion landed with a loud crash at the expensive high-definition sound system, which had still been blasting messy soundwaves of dubstep before it was completely broken to pieces under his sudden weight. The crowd, who had been busy dancing to the electrifying music, abruptly stopped and stared at Dion, who was now groaning in pain as he laid atop the crush sound system, with wide, shock and surprised eyes. It was all too clear that the thought that was on everyone's mind was _How the _hell _did that happen?_

And then suddenly, they turned their heads slowly until their eyes found me.

It was only obvious that they would think it was me, considering the fact that I was standing directly in the line of direction that Dion had been thrown from. I absolutely _hated _being stared at, because it always gave me the feeling that I had done something wrong that may have just shamed the world, or myself at least.

And evidently, I had.

Feeling my nerves all go on a frazzled end, I panicked immediately, and found myself immediately running away from the scene. Dropping the crushed can to the floor, I pushed my way through the other part of the witnessing crowd – relieved for the fact that I had managed not to throw anyone else into the air – and was more than glad that I found the door. Once I ran out of the house, I was immediately met with the cool air of the night. However, it was not as peaceful as I had hoped it would be; there were people being drunk and high all over the front yard. The odour of thrown-up alcohol on the ground then began to waft and linger in the air around me, making me gag and wanting to puke as well.

I saw Henrietta's Volvo still parked alongside the pavement, but there was no sign of her anywhere, which meant that she was probably still inside the madhouse. I had half a mind to just wait at the car for her, because I had nowhere else to go for the night but to her place.

However, the other half was arguing with its counterpart heatedly, stating reason that it was a completely bad idea to linger around this place; it was already bad enough that I had managed to gain unwanted attentions by my unexpected feat just a while ago, and I did not want to make it worse by getting more strangers creeping onto me like that Dion.

In the end, it was the latter part of me that won the argument, and I began to walk the way to Main Street. I kept my eyes forward, willing myself not to look back. I was more than glad when the noises of the house soon faded away into the distance.

Of course, I still have not forgotten that I had nowhere else to go for the night. Well, it was not exactly true, for I now had only one place in mind to go to.

XXX

I haven't been to my pomegranate tree since the incident I had that disastrous date night. I hadn't meant to avoid it, but I knew that I would only be haunted with unpleasant memories of that night if I went there.

But in the end, I decided that it was the best place I could go to right now to allow myself to ponder about all that had happened. And I was glad that, although I had indeed remembered what had happened that night at the very spot I sat on, I was much more distracted by my current dilemma to be pained from those other thoughts.

Sitting at a spot in front of my pomegranate tree, looking up at it as though it was some sort of altar or a statue of a deity, I allowed myself to delve into my thoughts. I was more than thankful for the silence of the night, which was only disturbed by the chippering of crickets and cicadas in the growth around me. The clearing itself was brightly-lit by the moonlight that was shining through the gaps in the canopy, allowing me to see easily.

Shutting my eyes, I watched the mental images of all the strange things that had happened to me these past few days. The memories of my encounters with Seamus Trent and Dion respectively were the first to come to mind, followed by the strange happenings that occurred while I was with them; happenings which I am sure I had actually been the cause of it.

And then, it was the memory of what happened with _him_ at this very clearing which started to dominate all other thoughts. His question of whether I had the feeling I knew him, what he had told me about me forgetting about him and everything we had together, and the chain around his neck which held the wedding rings which I _almost _recognized but it had ultimately revealed to me the truth that he was actually a married man.

But aside from all that, the lingering question as to how he somehow knew about my hunches towards him and that lingering suspicion that he may have known something that I didn't but should became even more lingering the more I thought about it.

From everything that had happened, the same question still stood strong and unresolved; why was it that all that had happened made something unknown to me seem so damnably familiar?

"Maybe because it is."

I had not realized that my eyes had been closed until that unknown voice of a girl started speaking to me. And that was when I threw my eyes open, only to see something that I had not entirely expected at all.

Standing before me and in front of the pomegranate tree were three white-robed hooded figures that had certainly not been there a second ago, so their sudden appearance – seemingly out of thin air – made me scream in shock and scramble back a bit. They seemed unfazed by my reaction, and only continued to gaze at me in intense silence.

The more I looked as them as they looked at me, it was then I realized that they were all young women. The differences between the three of them were how old they looked and their hair colour. The one on my left was probably the oldest, with hair the colour of blood which fell to her waist. The one on my right was the middle one among the three, with ashy black hair that tumbled to her shoulders. The one in the centre, standing right in front of me, was the youngest among the three of them, with pale blonde hair that fell to her chest. But other than that, they seemed to be sisters, judging from the similar green eyes that all three of them had.

I could only watch the three women cautiously, and I wondered how on Earth they had managed to appear right in front of me without my notice. Other than the noise of night insects, the clearing was silent and solitary enough for me to be able to hear and feel any other presence.

But then, I had a feeling that they were no ordinary presences. There was something about them – not just in the way they dressed or looked, but how they felt in particular – that radiated an unearthly and ethereal aura. It was as though they were something that were out of this world altogether, and that they might not be just simply three weird yet ghostly young women wearing white-linen robes with hoods over their heads.

The one in the centre – the blonde and youngest one – was the one who spoke first, greeting politely and respectfully, "My lady."

"Who are you?!" I asked fearfully, still trying to hold myself together from the shock of their sudden appearance. "How did you get here?"

The brunette sister then spoke next, replying, "It matters not how we have gotten here. It only matters that we are here."

"That still doesn't answer my question. Who are you?"

The redhead sister was the one to answer, answering me informatively, "If you must know, we are known by many names throughout the ancient times of ancient cultures. We are the _Sudice_ of Slavic mythology. We are the _Rodzanice _of Polish mythology. We are the _Sojenice _of Slovian mythology. We are the _Norns_ of Norse mythology. We are the _Parcae_ of Roman mythology. We are also the Three Witches – or Weird Sisters – of Shakespeare's _Macbeth_."

All those names and their respective mythologies quipped my interests and curiosity, but by no means has it _actually _answered my question as to who they were.

"That is because your question only asked for _who _we are, not _what _we are," the brunette replied, which shocked me because I knew I did not tell them what was on my mind.

"How did you…"

It was the blonde who finally answered.

"Because we have foreseen your questions and thoughts, because _we_ are the ones who have implemented such questions and thoughts into your thread of life. We are the three daughters of Ananke, the primordial goddess of destiny, necessity and fate – she who marks the beginning of the cosmos. We are the ones who sing of the things that are, the things that were, and the things that are to be. We are the spinner, the allotter and the inevitable of the destinies of all beings of this world. We are the weaver, the measurer and the cutter of the threads of life that we ourselves weave with our own bare hands and on our sacred spindle."

"To one of your origin, we are the _Moirai…_" said the redhead.

"Of the Ancient Greeks and the Greeks today..." said the brunette.

Then the blonde finally ended with, "But we are more commonly and worldly known as… The Fates."

I only stared at them in a mixture of shock, awe and amazement, unable to comprehend that name with these three women so easily. I mean, who could actually believe that standing before them were the actual Fates of the world? These were the three goddesses who had the almighty power to determine one's destiny, the duration of their life and when their time on Earth would come to an end by Death.

It was just entirely impossible.

"How would I know that the three of you are the real Fates?" I questioned them defensively, willing myself to get up on my feet and stand before them to show that I was not frightened. "How would I know that you three aren't just crazy ladies who thought that it was funny to dress up in white robes and claim yourselves to be the creators of destiny?"

The three sisters looked at each other with an amused but somewhat mocking look; something that almost said to me 'Look at how cute and clever this girl thinks she is; so confident that she knows something that she doesn't'.

Chuckling to herself, the blonde one was the one to make the first move, stepping forward until she stood right in front of me. This close, I could see that she looked no more than a few years younger than me, maybe in her late teens. But despite the youth of her pretty face, her green eyes said otherwise; her wise and knowing eyes gave me the indication that she might be more ancient that she portrayed herself to be.

And then, her brunette and redhead older sisters joined her, standing at each of her side. At this point, I could feel my façade on fearlessness start to diminish, and I felt intimidated by how knowingly they observed me. It made me feel even more stupid and frustrated at the thought of not knowing completely what was going on.

With a smile that seemed almost comforting yet unpredictable at the same time, the blonde told me, "I think what we are about to show you would be sufficient enough to prove our existence to you."

I took a step back, almost prepared to run if I had to. The fear in me grew several tenfold, and I could feel my heart hammering rapidly within my chest.

"…What are you going to do to me?..." I questioned them in fear, feeling my entire mouth go dry and my heart to race even faster by the second.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, the blonde answered, "Show you the truth."

And immediately, she and her older sisters all touched their fingertips to the centre of my forehead.

It made me suddenly lose cohesion of my mind and body. Darkness suddenly hazed over me and fogged my vision and my thoughts, and I could feel my entire body go slack and almost immobile. I could myself swaying side by side and to the front and back, trying to get a grip on myself and not submit to this sudden sensation that seemed akin to being drugged.

The last few things I remembered were me falling to the ground, allowing the darkness to fully overwhelm me, and the sudden absence of the strange aura of the three sisters.

But the last thing I comprehended before I fully allowed myself to succumb was the feeling of being held in a pair of familiar strong arms, and the sound of a familiar voice calling me the name that seemed to haunt me since earlier on.

"…Persephone..."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! I just got back from my prom, and let me tell you that it was absolutely fun. Although, I was kind of mad that the girl who was voted prom queen was the most meanest and manipulative girl in school who thinks she's better than everyone else (seriously? why was she voted prom queen?!). Nevertheless, I wouldn't let that ruin my night!

Anyway! This 'Dion' tries to get Melindia to realize that she's actually Persephone, but she doesn't want to believe it and thinks that it's just crazy talk! But can all her weird hunches and strange happenings, as well as those three strange women, make her think otherwise? What exactly could happen to her once she had lost consciousness? And who is that familiar person who she last remembered feeling?

Just to add; I know that the Fates were most commonly portrayed as daughters of Zeus, but I've decided to follow a lesser-known version of their parentage by making them the daughters of Ananke, the primordial goddess of destiny and the being who marked the beginning of the cosmos. I always thought of the Fates as being more ancient and more powerful than Zeus, even existing before he was born.

By the way guys, I've decided that to interact with some of you more, I am willing to accept any questions that you may have for me. You can always ask a question regarding anything about the story or a character in the reviews and I will answer it in the next chapter, or you can ask me privately through PM-ing. Of course I'll read any questions asked, and I'd be more than happy to answer!

So, at the end of this LONG author's note, see you on the next chapter on Monday! Please do review before you go! Helps me a lot!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


	15. Chapter 14

**_Lost Memories_**

I remember the Earth.

The bright shine of the golden sun always basked the open green lands of the Earth. All around me, there was life that seemed to glow and radiate powerfully.

Everything on the lands was fruitful and fertile and alive.

The trees stood tall and mighty with its crowns of evergreen leaves, the shrubs piled together to almost cover most of the ground like one big green carpet, and the flowers were always in eternal bloom.

XXX

I remember flowers.

Fields and groves and meadows of flowers. In fact, I remember flowers all around me, and flowers instantly growing out of the ground from wherever I touched and set foot upon my will. I remember all kinds of flowers that had been grown from the powers I harboured inside of me. If I willed it to be so, there would be roses and poppies and lilies and tulips and daisies and hibiscuses and sunflowers and gardenias and oleanders and so many other sorts of flowers that I think I do not know the names of.

I could remember the texture of their petals, somewhat soft like velvet and smooth like silk. I remember its exquisite perfume, such fragrant aromas that could even sweeten the scent of the fresh air in the open lands. I remember their colours, so very bright and so very vibrant that they were like paintings all on their own.

To me, the flowers were like the jewels of the crown that was the Earth, and they were _my _jewels. They were like my own treasures, so very precious to me. And they were like my own toys as well. I remember spending a lot of time playing and dancing and singing among them, thinking them to be my own personal audience in my times of fun. I also remember my hands always picking so many different types of sweet-smelling and colourful flowers to decorate into bouquets that I would hold lovingly in my hands, weave into flower crowns that I would wear on my head, and braiding them into my dark wavy hair to make it look as though it was also growing out of my tresses.

I was like a little girl, living with so much freedom and flowers.

Flowers… Precious flowers… _My _precious flowers…

XXX

I remember Aiden.

He was such a complete difference from the surroundings. From first glance, it was so very easy to tell. While everything was bright and colourful, basking in the liveliness of the bright sun, he was pale and dark, with an unearthly and subterranean aura to match.

It was strange to realize that he was such a vast difference from the lively Earth. But what was even more mesmerising was the fact that he possessed such a beauty within him that made him more beautiful than everything else around him. I didn't know about anyone else, but in my eyes, his beauty outweighed and outshone the natural beauty of the Earth that was around him. The rest of the world faded away into nothing for me when all I could truly focus on was him.

His darkness… His darkness was – surprisingly – not threatening at all. Sure, it seemed so unnatural that something so dark could be in the open lands of brightness where the sun shone magnificently all the time. But it was his darkness that made him different from everything else. It was the trait about him that made him so very unique and special.

And it was the darkness that he radiated which made me intrigued by him. The thought of him being so much more different from the world around me – the world that I was very sure was connected to me – in his own beauty drew me into curiosity about him, and caused me to have an urge to know more about him.

I did not feel like I was being seduced, or enchanted, or hypnotised, or anything else that may make it seem like I was acting against my will. Instead, I felt myself going to him on my own, wanting to know more about what he was, where he was from and how he could be so very different than what I was used to.

The thought of me getting into a situation that held the unknown – and that would be from getting close to him – only helped to highlight the fact that I was walking into unchartered territories which I could explore and learn on my own.

It was that thought of trying new things that made me accept the hand that he held out for me to take. And when he held my hand gently but securely and led me to the underground, I knew that there was no turning back from this.

XXX

I remember the underground.

In the underground, everywhere and everything was made of stone and rock and subterranean earth, and not even a single streak of gold sunlight passed through the mass of dirt and the high cavernous walls of this realm. The darkness seemed forever and stretched out like a growing shadow, threatening to engulf anything that came within its path.

In this underground, there was a river. But this was no ordinary river, for no such ordinary river could stretch so far and wide that it almost seemed infinite. The river was something that definitely looked like it belonged in the underground; so misty and gloomy and seemed full of such unholy and deadly life that already sent a message to anyone to not bathe within its waters unless they wished to meet their untimely end. The waters of the river was murky and I could not get a clear view of what lived in it, but something inside me was telling me that I was better off not knowing anything.

In this underground, it was barren of life, because all there was were the souls of the departed. I could see the Dead everywhere. All of them so very pale and bloodless, blank and void of any emotions. Their ghostly presences were what contributed to the eeriness and haunting aura of the underground, the scent of Death almost coating the dank and spine-chilling air.

To anyone else, the underground was a cold, dark and terrifying world that was completely desolate of any form of life.

But to me, it actually felt like home.

XXX

I remember the thrones.

Inside a beautiful and grand palace that acted like the heart of the underground, there was a room. Well, more like a big and grand hall. A throne hall, to be exact. Although it was sparsely furnished, with only a long strip of carpeting and a huge obsidian chandelier, it held the two most beautiful treasures of the palace.

At the head of this hall, atop a tiered dais, there were two thrones that stood in grand magnificence. The thrones obviously belonged to none other than a king and a queen. Most probably, the very rulers of this underground world.

The thrones were both crafted out of black ebony and shining gold and were made to look similar in shape and size. But the difference between them was that while one throne remained being made out of ebony and gold, the other had all sorts of colourful jewels and stones encrusted into it to form a floral pattern. This, I knew, was the throne of the queen.

And apparently, _I_ was the queen.

I so very clearly remember sitting on that jewelled throne, beside the king of the underground, who would sit on his own magnificent seat.

In between us, Aiden would always hold my hand gently.

XXX

I remember parting from him.

Always, there came a time when I would leave Aiden. I do not understand why it was so, just that it was supposed to be.

Our partings were always bittersweet in my case. When the time came, I felt glad to know that I would return to the world above. I still treasured the connection I had to Earth, and I would remember missing the warmth of the bright sunshine, the scents and sights of the flowers in bloom, and the feeling of life that existed in every inch of nature up above. All those things that I could never have in the underground, and I was happy to know that I would be among them once again.

But, even with the thought of going back to the world I belonged to, I would miss Aiden with every fibre of my body. The thought of being apart from him, not seeing him, not having by my side… It hurt me a lot. It would feel like a part of me – an important part of me – was missing. I would feel incomplete without that part, like I could never truly be happy if I did not have it.

I needed him.

But I resigned myself to the fact that our parting would only be temporary, and that I would still return to him in the end.

XXX

I remember love.

On some nights in the underground, atop a huge and magnificent canopy bed with dark red silk sheets and masses of silk pillows, in just the privacy of the luxurious bedroom that the both of us shared, I would make love with Aiden. Every time, it was not just the feeling of having sex; it was such true love-making.

I would grip his dark hair with trembling fists and have my legs wrapped around his lean waist while my lips would be insistently kissing his. As I did so, I was also being held in his pair of strong arms, where I would feel so protected and cared for and _loved_. And whenever he thrust… it was just absolute bliss.

I would feel breathless and exhausted but so very high on the pleasure and ecstasy I was experiencing, and I would continuously beg him to not stop. I did not want him to stop. I wanted to keep on feeling his body on me, and feel his love engulf me. And I wanted to continue hearing him breathe heavily from the exertion he was putting and hear him whisper and murmur and moan and growl about how much he loved me while he continued physically loving me relentlessly.

I would tell him that I loved him too, and I would always mean my words with all of my heart and the burning passion that overwhelmed my body.

And when it finally came to the peak, I would always scream his name with so much honest love and passion heard in my voice.

But I never called him 'Aiden'.

XXX

I remember the children.

Two girls and a boy.

The first girl was the oldest, and she was a sweet and gentle little soul with a demeanour that was one of kindness and innocence. She was like a little angel, so blissful and lovely to those all around her, and the brightness she possessed on the inside of her heart seem to shine magnificently. She had dark brown hair that fell in pretty ringlets around her angel face, and orange eyes that reminded me of embers in a warm flame. Somehow, something about the way she looked kind of resembled me.

The second girl was a feisty yet slightly mischievous spirit, like a little ball of energy with no sign of ever going out. She had straight hair of natural black and brown streaks set against her cute face. Her eyes were strange but enchanting, as they were black with flecks of amber and they actually seemed to be glowing, which made her look somewhat like a pretty little ghoul. Some part of her, maybe the amber flecks in eyes, actually made her look like me.

The boy was the youngest, and he was quiet and soft-spoken but a very loving and lovely child. With skin as pale as alabaster, his coal black hair and equally black eyes contrasted starkly against it. It was like he himself was black and white entirely, but he was by no means bleak. I could sense a spirit within him that made him so alive; a spirit so beautiful that anyone who was to witness it would be awed. And, it made him resemble so much like Aiden.

I remember the times when I respectively gave birth to those three children. I remember holding them to my breast and watching them suckle for my milk. I remember watching them grow up, and nurturing them by teaching them lessons on values and morals and playing with them a lot so that they won't be alone. I remember loving them with all of my heart, and telling them that every time so that they would never forget about how much I really treasured them close to my heart.

I remember Aiden being there with us, and he too would shower them in his love and affection. He looked at them like they were the most precious things in the world, and I remember him always protecting, caring for, and loving them, as how a father should do to his children.

We were one happy family.

XXX

I remember the end.

There was crying. A lot of crying. And the crying was born out of fear for the situation that was to befall upon us. The fear, I could remember, was so horrible that it almost engulfed my entire soul. Intertwined with the fear were the hurtful sensations of pain, anger and confusion, because of what was to happen to both me and Aiden.

I remember having my arms around him, clutching onto him so desperately, clearly afraid of letting go of him for fear that we would permanently be apart if I did. I remember him holding me tight as well, comforting me the best he could and repetitively telling me everything was going to be alright. But from the of the tear trails that stained his cheeks and the pain that could be so clearly seen within his impossibly dark eyes, I could tell that he too was afraid.

Suddenly, I could feel the both of us being pulled by something unknown. The force was so powerful that I could feel myself being torn apart from him. I did not want to be away from him, so I held myself onto him tighter, crying and screaming my heart out at the thought that finally, the end for the both of us was near.

But then, he was crying and shouting as well, but not from fear and grief like me. He was crying in proclamation about how he would not allow us to be apart for long, and he swore to the powers of the universe and to a greater power to find me if ever we were. He swore that we will never be apart, that we would always be together in the end.

This, he swore with every power in his body.

The last thing I could ever remember was screaming his true name.

XXX

I woke up suddenly in a jolt.

My eyes flew open to meet the white ceiling that hung above me. The sweat that had beaded on my forehead now streamed down my temples in rivulets. My breathing had started as a gasp for air when my eyes flew open, but it then transitioned into deep breaths before calming down into more gentle ones. My heart had been racing for the first thirty seconds, but the more I breathed, the more it calmed down.

I continued to stare blankly up at the ceiling as the mental images of all that I had just witnessed in my subconscious mind began to flash in my thoughts. Even if my mind was a bit jumbled up right now, I was able to recall all the scenes in clear and vivid detail. They continued to play through my thoughts, like a television that couldn't be switched off. Even the sounds and smells and feelings were still as clear as day, as though I was experiencing it once again at this very moment.

When I felt my body somewhat calm, I slowly sat up, enduring the slight throb in my head that must have occurred from the weight of all the messed up thoughts within it. I brought the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat there, before bringing both my hands to massage my temples, slowly easing away the bothersome throb.

When I finally felt more relaxed, I took this moment to look around me, and it was then I realized that I was resting on an unfamiliar bed under unfamiliar covers in an unfamiliar bedroom. The room was quite sparsely decorated, with the furniture being just the bed, two nightstands at each side of it with lamps atop each, a chair in a corner with a floor lamp beside it, and a closet that was built into the wall. One wall – the one on my right – was actually a full window, which now had the long curtains drawn to conceal the view of the outside.

There were no pictures or photo frames in this room to at least help me get a clue as to whose room I was in. It got me curious, but then it got me confused as to how I got here in the first place.

And it was then I recalled what had happened at the clearing, the incident with the three strange women. Luckily, I remembered clearly the last thing they had done to me; I still had the faint sensation of their fingertips on my forehead. And I very clearly remembered the state that they had sent me in before disappearing.

With all those images occurring in my mind after I had been somewhat knocked out by the three of them, could it actually have proven them to be the Fates? I knew that what I had seen in my dreams and thoughts was not something that could have been made up. They were all so clear and so very real, and a nagging feeling within me was telling me that these incidences had actually happened to me, and that the sensations I felt within that point were real. And I was actually not so surprised when I found myself believing them to be real, and that I may have to agree that those three white-robed women were actually the legitimate Fates.

And if it was true that everything I had seen in my dreams were in fact real, then that meant…

The door to the room suddenly opened, and I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts and had my attentions focused onto whoever had just entered the room. But who I saw was completely the last person I would have expected, and it sent my heart racing like a rabbit's heartbeat.

Aiden entered the room, carrying a clear glass of water in his hand. Shadowed by the light that came from the room outside, I nearly could barely make out the haunting look of exhaustion, concern and worry that etched his face. He looked like he hasn't slept for a few days, so burdened as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders, and so plagued from problems that may have now resided deep within his heart.

He looked far from the man he was in my dreams. He looked so broken and lost.

When he looked up and realized that I was awake, his eyes widened his shock, and for a while, his pain and worry disappeared. Hurriedly, he placed the glass of water on the closest bedside table and sat down on the edge right beside me. With gentleness but a clear sense of worry, his hands held my upper arms, and he looked at me right in the eye as he asked in a hurry, "Melindia… Are you alright?"

To hear him say my name felt weird, for some reason. I had a feeling that it was not what he was supposed to call me. Now, my own name sounded so strange, as though it was some foreign tongue that I did not understand. It did not feel like the right thing that I should be called. No, it wasn't.

Likewise, as I looked at him, I realized now how much the name 'Aiden' did not match him. In fact, I finally had the suspicion that it was not his real name at all. He wore it as though it was some kind of cover to conceal his true identity. But when I look at him right now, I finally knew the true name that he should be referred by. It was the name that I knew was truly his when I first met him, and when I last saw him.

With slow carefulness, I brought my hands to grip his shoulders, having the urge to feel him under my touch. He stilled at the sudden unexpected contact, but he tensed when I whispered, "You're… not 'Aiden'…"

Gently, I brought my hands upwards to cup his face. He sucked in a breath so quickly that it almost seemed as though he was hissing at the sensation of my skin on his, and he watched me intently, his eyes never breaking their focus on mine.

I myself felt reactive to the feel of his face, the hardness of his bone structure under the velvety softness of his pale skin. I tried to recall if I had ever touched him in such a way before, and I was not completely surprised when I had the feeling that I had.

And so that gave me the push to realize that I had indeed known him before, and that I knew him as whom he truly was. I remember his name now. It was the last thing I had said before we fell together for the first time.

"…Hades…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

WOOOH! Melindia finally remembers that 'Aiden' is Hades!

But with the return of her lost memories, will this truly mean a happy event for her? Or will it be the complete opposite? How will Melindia cope with the unexpected truth that she was actually not who she was at all?!

* * *

OK. This is the part where I answer some of the reviews from last chapter!

To **Guest #2 **& **#3 **: Hope this chapter helps! :)

To** Guest #1 **(the one who is angry about the concept of name pronounciation): K

To **Nicolover11**: 1. In this chapter she does! ; 2. I'm epic? Really? ; 3. Exactly how I feel about the whole prom queen thing -_- But thanks for thinking I should have been prom queen and for loving me! I love you too, dear! :) (Like a sis, of course!)

**I will always answer guest reviews! Ask me some!**

* * *

So what will happen between 'Melindia and 'Aiden' in the next chapter? Will more light be shed upon the shocking situation?

Tune in on Friday for the next chapter! Please do review! It helps me out a lot!

_Muse of Fanfiction_


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